


If My Heart Had Wings

by Kelseyalicia



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angels, Arranged Marriage, Birthday, Child Abuse, Chosen One, Dating, Family Issues, Fish out of Water, Good vs Evil, High School, Humanity, Immortal, Lies, Life Lessons, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Magic, Magical Artifacts, Matter of Life and Death, Multi, Prophecy, Pure Heart, Rape, Secret Wedding, Soulmates, Souls, Surprises, True Love, Wings, back from the dead, blind girl, divine beings, enlightenment, getting drunk, tyrant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-18 07:30:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 20
Words: 187,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19329952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kelseyalicia/pseuds/Kelseyalicia
Summary: Prince Atem of Xanadu is being forced to marry a beautiful airhead by his abusive father. He runs away to Earth and meets Yugi and along the way, he may learn the true meaning of being human and what real immortality is. Yugi and Atem together!





	1. The Irony of Xanadu

**Author's Note:**

> This is the best damn thing I ever wrote. I wrote it in 2007 and since then it's got over 4000 views currently has 151 comments and 113 favorites. And that's with the bad grammar which will be corrected here. 
> 
> As such this will take a very long time to transfer over considering the length of the chapters and how bad the grammar got to be in each chapter. But I'll do my best to do a little at a time. 
> 
> I was told if I did a rewrite of this as an original novel it'd be a best seller. Tell me what you think. Enjoy.

I don't have possession of anything in Yugioh other than my OCs. On the other hand, I exceedingly doubt I'm the only person who would pay a mountain worth of gold for one day with Yugi and Atem in their lives! Why oh why is it that all the great guys and girls have to be animated?! And everyone here wonders why I rather live in an animated world then this hell hole?! Geez, it ain't that hard especially with these two dream boys to figure out!

"Since I'm posting this on March 18th this will be my birthday gift to Pharaoh Atem who today celebrates his golden birthday. Happy birthday Atem may all your wishes come true! And no I'm not lying this is his birthday!"

"The Irony of Xanadu"

Far above the cotton white clouds even higher then diamond stars sewn into the velvet heavenly midnight-blue skies was the beautiful immense flouting sovereignty of Xanadu. Home to all of the Divan Beast and Beings. Creatures of great magnificence along with fierce power dwelled within this seemingly utopia of the heavens. But like the wise old saying all is not what it appears to be. Even the most beautiful of flowers can hold a deadly surprise all foolish enough to venture too close.

The name of this city was Xanadu, with the exception of its name, unlike the poem from which the namesake of this world originated from, this was far from a perfect world as much as it's "King" would lead the people to believe. True this world was without a doubt beyond beautiful, for all the buildings and boulevards in this city had been made from only the finest sun gold and moon silver. Furthermore, they were adorned with the gems of the universe's most precious treasures. Even the plant life was far more extraordinary as well as out of the ordinary then anything found on Earth. Nevertheless what was even more exotic then the godly metropolis where its inhabitants and they were very undeniably unique!

You never have seen such breathtaking and magnificent creatures in the world. For even in the depths of your imagination along with your wildest of dreams, would you even expect to unearth such phenomenal creatures? They're the Divine Beasts or as known on Earth, Duel Monsters lived free from persecution. They came in every shape, size, and color known to man and some of them were even beyond the dreams of the man they were so astonishing. Furthermore being in their presences would blow your mind at the sight of these immortal divan beasts! All the creatures had unique powers and look.

Living alongside these magnificent creatures lived the Divine Beings. The Divine Beings looked like humans who dressed in beautiful clothes of times long past. Except for their large wings and the ever presence aura that surrounded their bodies they could've easily been normal humans. Both the Beasts as well as Beings of this false paradise shared two common fears within their hearts.

These breathtaking creatures and beings could only be their miraculous and immortal selves as long as the item that contained their immortally as well as their magic remained intact. If this Immortal Object, whatever it was, was shattered, then almost immediately, the creature or even the Divan beings that ruled over Xanadu would be made mortal and condemned to breathe their last breath. They'd have no power and be simple defenseless. The second fear outweighed the fear of being made mortal because of what it was or rather who it was.

The Realm of Xanadu was created long ago near the beginning of time by the great almost omnipotent King Aknamkanon with the help of his Seven Sacred Guardians. Before Xandu was erected all the Divan Beasts where devoid of order as well as significance. They used to exist in a life full of constant pandemonium as well as savagery. Their senseless conflicts on their brethren threaten to tear the seams of the universe apart and annihilate all existence both mortal and immortal. At that moment when it seemed the universe would end their 'savior' came out of nowhere. Aknamkanon and the Divan Beings had come and rescued them and brought order to the chaos. The Beasts had been so grateful they made him they are king a decision they had come to regret greatly.

However, that was a very long time ago even too an immortal. Aknamkanon had saved them from one kind of hell only too ensnare them all in another. In next to no time after the city was completed the handsome along with benevolently sovereign showed his true colors. He was far from the compassionate and honorable man who had saved them from destroying the universes in addition to themselves.

He was an extraordinarily vain as well as a shallow man. Whose outrages laws and systems of how he governed his precious city made the beautiful city little more then a ghost town. His rage was far worse then War of Shadows as the time of before he came was acknowledged as. He was a complete control-freak and very much lacked any kind of a heart. He was even exceptionally abusive to his own flesh and blood, his own son, Prince Atem.

Everyone lived in his society and did as they where told out of fear and imitation, not out of respect. Things had gotten much worse in the more recent years especially from the time when the tyrant beloved and kindhearted wife Queen Samira had disappeared. There had been countless rumors about what occurred 14 years ago. All that was know for certain was, whatever had happened, had made the biggest law in all the land, happen at the same time. Earth was strictly off-limits and anyone found on Earth and fraternizing with humans would be immediately converted into a mortal, followed by being exiled eternally from home!

Whilst the Queen had been in Xanadu at least things at been livable and there was hope for a better future. Alas now that she had vanished the city had gone from being sovereignty with a dazzling star of hope to a ghost town permanently eclipsed by the darkness of a dead moon of unyielding anguish. Regardless of how bad things got everyone continue to make an effort to live in this cursed "Perfect Society" with this single tiny flame of hope burning in them all. That one day they could really locate the true Xanadu and not this phony one they had been so cunningly ensnared in for all eternity.

Right now inside the beautiful Millennium Palace as King Aknamkanon called his home was the King who was supposed to be listening to the needs of his people. There before him were the beautiful governesses of the different groups of the Beasts. He had created and named each of these lovely ladies. He thought he had made them without 'flaws" or without the cursed "Free Will" He had made each girl who looked about 18 from the element that each sub-society she was supposed to look over for him. But unfortunately for him, none of these ladies were dumb obedient puppets. They unmistakably symphonized with the people they'd been with for all this time and want their King to change.

Every one of the ladies looked exactly alike. Save for her complexion, garments, and jewelry differed from what zone she governed. The maidens each where 5'7 and wore barefoot strapped sandals along with petite dresses, that showed a respectful amount of cleavage with anklets, bracelets, a chocker with a teardrop jewel for their miraculous powers with matching earrings in addition to a teardrop gem on their foreheads. Their hair that was like water and light mixed together was in an exotic style with a headdress of flowers weaved all the way through it.

"Give me the pleasure and be kind enough to pay heed to what we've had to say? Will you pay attention, my King? I mean in actuality pay attention? The way this city is running we could be looking at another war and I wouldn't blame anyone for wanting one. You can't just keep forcing people to live like this there must be change and soon or we'll have hell to pay. The sea is very restless sir," spoke Aqua who had been given the task to keep in line all water-type Divine Beast.

"Yes My Lord having these senseless set of laws only shows on your behalf a lack of unity, but it does however implanted the poisonous seeds of doom within all the wonderful creatures. Nothing good will grow within this garden if you let it grow to be swarming with weeds sir," Ivy replied as another flower on her dress wilted and died.

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you ladies have been ranting and raving on about for the good part of the last hour. Now stop hiding behind this thin cloak that you're attempting to hide your words beneath and tell me what you're trying to say or I shall unmake all of you ladies! I extreme dislike to obliterate such beauty in such an unattractive manner but I don't like flaws in my unblemished city," he said as he fingered his magic staff in a very nerve-racking manner.

For Divan Beings they were given powerful magic enhancing objects at birth. For all of them, their Immortally Object was one far more personal in addition to being a great deal harder to obliterate. Their immortality was their wings. These wings were so beautiful even the great of writers and poetics would be lost for words at their beauty. For if you laid eyes on these wings even for the second of heartbeat your breath would be swiftly stolen from your lips from its magnificent exquisiteness.

The King's wings were large whitish gold and could make three Cyclones with just one feather rustling if he liked. He always arrogantly showed them off in a manner that made the others a bit jealous. He got a great deal of pleasure from the look on their faces when he did take an occasional flight over his domain. Surrounding his body was a bright golden light which reflected how strong his magic was.

The Governess knew Aknamkanon threat was real, but for once they wouldn't be put off. They made up their minds. If they must die by the very hand that granted this half-life, they at the least make the needs of their people know before they give up the ghost. Standing on the Aknamkanon left side was his Head Magician and his Apprentice, Mahad and Mana both of their faces still as the cold stone which they stood upon. Also with them were their master's brother and his son. The rest of the court was off doing an assortment of tasks for him. Mahad kept unvoiced his tongue as his leader cold amethyst eyes burned through the courageous Governess.

Mahad was very loyal to his master and vaguely could commit to his infinite memory he had once been the good man who had saved this world. But he didn't comprehend what had changed him so radically. He felt secretly he may never know what had changed this man into a demon who chose to hide in the skin of a Divan Being. He glances quickly at Mana who he could tell was shaking like a leaf. He couldn't even do anything to calm her fear much less his own. Still, he as he watched as his master was about to slaughter his own kind for the simple fact of doing what they were told to do, however, wasn't going to lie about it too him.

After a few tense moments, one of the girls stepped heroically forward and respectfully bowed. She seemed terrified but refused to submit to her fears. "My name is Enchantra and I preside over the Spellcasters Zone where only individuals of the supernatural are allowed to live and thrive. My sisters and I would like to try and explain something," pausing for a moment to see if he was going to smite her. He didn't but gripped his staff tighter and was now in his other hand fingered a weird and wonderful talisman that hung around his neck. The Talisman was the Heart of Xanadu, the magical source of energy that ran the entire city and was the King's own personal source of power.

"This is a magical model of our city. It would seem to go for infinity. Your design for this city was for it to be built in the shape of a winged star with a heart cradle within that star. The wings are the borders of our domain and are what keep Man from finding us with their magic of technology. The star part is dived into mathematical equal zones for all of the Divine Beasts. With the Divine Beings dwelling in the heart of it all," she refreshed him calmly.

"Yes, I know this already. Get to the point!" he snapped his wings fluttering a bit with sparks of magic. A small number of inconsequential explosions happened as the sparks of magic went off like 4th of July firecrackers.

"You decree that to have ordered that everyone would be placed in one of these zones. Each zone environment is designed to fit their group's needs perfectly. But then there is how you make us run these zones. Your system forces everyone to stay in their zones and only interact with their own kind and only if their power is the same. That means my people the Spellcasters can't go and be with any other kind of Beast and they can't interact with anyone who not in their social class meaning a low level of power individual can't interact with a high power one,"

"Not only is this unfairly and unreasonably but then you force upon each Zone to have its own rules as wells as rules that all must follow. Your laws are insane and ludicrous at best. No one can be free or creative and try to fly. No one is alive in this city you've christened "Xanadu" This isn't a democratic organization you guarantee these inhabitants at what time you first took your throne. No this is totalitarianism plain and simple. All the monsters yearn for the fortifications that, keep them imprisoned and apart from the others, to collapse and be permitted their voice to be heard in their own government. We can avoid an additional war if you allow what needs to happen come to pass. Please, I beg you, my King. Do what is right for your sovereignty. Demonstrate to them you're not a tyrant and you're the man who led them out of harm's way so long ago,"

For all was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Aknamkanon just remained still as the cold stone of his heart at the same time as his vivid pools of liquid amethyst sealed tighter then his grip on his staff of power. His eyes slowly opened and took a very steely glint to them. Mahad held his breath knowing what was coming next wishing Mana didn't have to witness the psychosis that was impending.

A brilliant flash of light in the midst of a merciless bellow come about for a fraction of a second. As soon as it was over the young girl was lying on the floor lifeless. Her beautiful body was now completely mangled in a way that didn't even seem to be possible.

Mana almost fainted at this cold blood site. She was still very new in the palace and what really went on its stunning walls. This was the first time she experienced the King's punishment for anyone who gave him even the slightest bit of discontentment.

"Now my brother, perhaps you do me a great act of kindness?"

"Yes, my brother what is thy wish? What wonderful duty to you wish upon me to fulfill?" inquired Aknadin with his one real eye sharing the same demonic glint as he brother at the same time as a mischievousness sneer was etching its way across his face.

"I would greatly be indebted if you and Seto could take these fine young ladies and deal with their inconsequential affairs. Do what you're capable of to satisfy these unthankful Neanderthals. Stupid Beasts these fools are? Don't they comprehend how good they have it? Put together the needed modifications but within the officially permitted limitations allowed, understood?"

"Yes, Uncle we'll do as you command. Please, Governesses, would you follow us this way?" asked Seto kindheartedly to the ladies, who had been still as stone since their brave sister been needlessly struck down. He walked over to the ladies and rested his strong warm hand on one of their shoulders.

"My ladies, please come with me. There no need to linger here any longer. Come we'll attempt to correct this problem," he told them loud enough for his father and uncle to take notice of. At that time he dropped his voice low and whispered into her exquisite elf ear, "Don't be concerned about your fallen sister. I give you my word of honor; Mahad will find a way to help her. I shall aid him later in that task. But at this time we can't do anything. So follow ok?"

With a fleeting glance at their fallen sister as the false king was circling like a wolf around her they followed the kind dark blue eyes of they young boy. Seto for only a second looked at Mahad who made a very slight nod knowing what his next task was going to be.

The second the Governess where out of the throne room, Aknamkanon, began to kick the lifeless girl dead body around like her corpse was a hackysack. He laughed like this was the child's game. However, he soon grew bored to death with playing with her corpse and tossed the rag doll like body into Mahad arms.

Despite the fact that she was dead in addition to her corpse had been physically abused so much there wasn't a scratch on her charming form. She merely looked sound asleep in a sweet innocent dream. This was worse then having no signs of the cruelty she suffered.

"Mahad, my dear old friend I believe you know exactly what to do with that weed in my garden of perfection? You and your new apprentice get the job completed. All of these petty interactions have really stressed out my body. I'm going to retire to the health spa for a few hours then take a nap. I trust by the time the driver of golden sun chariot as exchanged it for the silver moon one all will amends will be done?" he asked very calmly to the young man before him.

"Yes, Master all will be done,"

"Good see you both in a few hours. That is all," with that he spread his massive wings and with a sound louder then a roar of hell left. Mana finally passed out from the sickening ordeal she had just witnessed. Mahad couldn't blame her for her reaction. His Ring came alive as the glittering gold magic sprang from it and danced around the young girl on the floor. It then danced around her charming form and lifted her unconscious body into the air, with her bright pink and blue wings hanging down, a blowing soothingly in a non-extent zephyr. He then spread is own dark amethyst wings and flew off to his private chambers to do the task he was supposed to do.

He flew rapidly through the silent palace corridors to his tower, the Dark Magician Lair. It was like the rest of this entire world incredibly beautiful. It was a mix of light lavender along with rich amethyst with a spectacular amethyst jeweled stain glass skylight. It was rather spacious and full of volumes of the universe magical tomes and artifacts. However, at that moment his wonderful home felt very depressing. He used his Ring too set Mana unconscious petite body on his large bed and tucked her. Then he looked at the other girl who lay lifeless in his strong arms.

"No matter how many times I do this cursed act, I'll never get over that look on each of their faces. How each of the delicate faces looks as innocent as a sleeping babe yet their eyes," he said gazing his own into the dead governess half closed ones, "Look like something I can't find a word that would describe this look," he said silently to himself as laid the girl on his worktable.

He then began to get the appropriated tools and ingredients necessary for the reconstruction as well as regeneration of the young girl. He had done this over a thousand times before. Lately, he seemed to have recreated his master 'toys' as he now thought of them, more often then ever. He would have to make a new body and he was supposed to purge the 'flaw' from the previous model.

"When his 'toys' break or seemed to break he calls me to use my magic to fix them! I've become lately nothing more then a glorified toymaker in addition to a lowly handyman! Every now and then I can use my powers for a dignified as well as meaningful work, but as of late all I do is make him new dolls," he sighed as he poured an odd colored fluid from a vile into a vat. It's appalling odor aroused Mana from herself induced dreamless slumber.

"Master Mahad! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have been such a child! I should've been more like you and stood tall. I'm your Apprentice and I showed such dishonor to you and the king! Oh, I deserve whatever chastisement you will inflict upon me for tarnishing the nobleness of a Magician Apprentice!" Mana told him as she fell to the ground in a whimpering heap. Her pink and blue wings cloaked her as she continued to cry about her dishonor.

"Please, Mana, stand up. You'd not experience humiliation. You're not the first to be…overwhelmed with the extreme nature of King Aknamkanon and his manner of handling this city. Please be of assistance to me with making a fresh Spellcasters Governess. It's been a while like maybe a decade or two since I made one of them. Could you get that big jade and gold manuscript on the top of the third shelf, please?" Mahad told her as she bowed and flutter over to get it.

She grabbed the book that was the size of her head and flew back over too her master. He waved his hand over it and the book flew opened and the pages flew by wildly and quickly till the reached the correct page. The spell was written in their native dialect, known as Millennium Language. The words and pictures were in unique as well as a beautiful display of a glittering multitude of vibrated colors and designs.

"Now make yourself useful and aid me in any way you can. If you wish to be an elite spellcaster yourself one day then you must practice, practice, and practice. Now tell me what is the first ingredient required in the formula for manufacturing a synthetic life form?" he asked her gently.

"Ah let me think. Um, its moonbeams crystals?" she asked hopefully to him. He shook his head and looked at the vat that was beginning to boil with purple bubbles. She needed to think quickly if he didn't want it to spill over. He watched as her pretty little face scrunched up in frustration as she racked her brain for the correct answer. She gave the impression of being like, a human child who'd cram hard for a big examination, only to have her mind put up a wall between her and the answers to that test she sought after so desperately for.

"Um it's ah, don't tell me! I know it I really do! It's on the tip of my tongue! Just give me a little more time. I know I can think of it! I'm as bright as stars in the sky…wait that it! Stardust! Stardust mixed with thyme! That is what's needed!" she exclaimed proudly to him.

Mahad cracked a small smile and nodded. "Clever wordplay I will say. Now I want you to make this one all on your own. So go ahead to some magic. I won't help at all,"

If Mana had appeared panicky before she was really panicky at this moment. She was more jitter then a June bug. She started to stir the vat but was such a nervous wreck she tripped over her own dainty feet and fell flat on her face. It was a really painful sight to watch as for the next two and a half hours she struggles to do what she was told. Mahad gave her an encouraging smile but remained silent. Mana continued to struggle in vain at the same time as she tried so desperately to perform her first attempt at fundamental alchemy appropriately. Her teacher was looking out the windowpane to the city that seemed to go on without end. He also for a few short-lived moments could see Earth.

More often than not the King's power over their city made it impossible to see the rare jewel of the universe. Nevertheless at what time he was extremely stress-free his power over the Heart of Xanadu lessened a sufficient amount to see the stunning as well as intriguing planet Earth. It looked breathtaking sight; a very pleasant change to the perfect periwinkle skies Aknamkanon until the end of time had painted above them. Their master's power was so great he had power over everything right down to the weather conditions.

"Master Mahad! I think we've got problems!" cried Mana voice in full out panic as the vat was now a very nasty shade of puce and with each popped effervesce releasing a very dreadful odor. He snapped out of his thoughts snapped his head around in time to see the vat fly into a rage-spewing the contents all over the place. His Ring shields him from the thick putrid substance, on the other hand, Mana was now covered from head to toe in it.

She fell to her knees in disgrace, "I so stupid! I'm a fool too think I could be a great spellcaster! Just a big fool that all that I'm! I cannot even do simple alchemy what makes me think I could ever hope to do the astonishing craft of magic?"

"Mana, what did you do?" Mahad asked his Apprentice as he waved his hand and the Lair was once again neat as a new pin. Mana, on the other hand, ignored him and went on rambling and verbally mutilating herself for her lack of talent and embarrassing foul-ups!

After this childish tantrum lasted longer then it ought to, he used his Ring's magic to turn her upside down an immobilized her except for her head.

"Ahh! Put me down! I hate being upside down! I don't even like flying in loopy loops! Master, I'm so sorry for ruining your beautiful Lair and I'll understand if you do some kind of chastisement! Please put me down!" she begged him. He released his hold on her set her right side up.

Mana then began to kiss his feet in an attempted to make her inevitable punishment less horrific. Mahad just yanked her to her feet. "Please, Mana show yourself a bit of dignity! I'm not going to punish you for making a mistake,"

"But Master Mahad we're Divan Beings! We're not capable of making mistakes! That is something only the vile along with despicable humans can do. My mother and teachers said so. They told us every day twice a day the same thing. We're above them in every way!"

"If I did make a mistake, only shows that you should've chosen one of the males for an Apprentice, not a female. My teachers were right. I'm not cut out to be a spellcaster it was just a foolish whim to be different. I should've done as they told me and train to become something more suited to my talents if I had any. Maybe I should have become a Scroll Keeper. Males are just so much better suited too magic as everything thing else in this eternal life," hanging her head in shame.

"Mana just because you're a female doesn't mean you're dumb. You also shouldn't give up just because something doesn't turn out right the first time. Anyone can make a mistake,"

"You're talking like a human my friend. Be careful my screwy uncle doesn't hear you utter such treason's words or your wings will be clipped. I'm sorry for not being on time. I had to attempt to give support to the other ladies after my father used his Eye on them. Just a bit of 'fun," he said. I swear this isn't how I remember things' being before this cursed city was erected," Seto told the magicians as he glided silently on his light blue wings.

"I know what you mean Seto. I can vaguely remember the world where our race originated from. I remember a real Xanadu. I remember how it was sweet and happy. We all had a good life," Mahad told the young priest in a half-hearted tone. He sighed heavily as he tried hard to recall his former home but alas he couldn't even see it.

"Excuse me but what do you mean "Our World or the Real Xanadu?" I mean haven't we forever and a day lived here? Is this not Xanadu?" asked a baffled Mana to the two older men. They looked at each other in the eye and sighed.

"What do they teach at the Academy now a day? Don't you know your own history Mana?" Seto asked the young girl who shook her head.

"I'm afraid history wasn't my strong point. To be truthful I wasn't very good at school at all. I was late a great deal and fell asleep a lot. I was even held back one time. That is why I'm surprised to be standing in your two presences right now. When it came time for the Selection, six months ago for the Palace Head Magician to choose an Apprentice, I believed I never even be considered let alone get this job. I was so shocked Mahad selected me,"

Mahad looked at Mana with a bit of surprise. Her headmistress at the Xanadu Academy for Young Girls had said she was a bit of a klutz but had a good heart. When he had visited the Xanadu Academy for Young Boys he had quickly dismissed the sixteen-year-old presented to him. He could sense their overconfidence and arrogance from a mile off. At the girls' school, he had found the lack of interest to be staggering. He had almost left when he sensed a strong magical aura. That's when he saw Mana and knew she had the potential to one day surpass him. He took her with him despite the protest and had begun her training confident that the girl would blossom sooner or later.

"You may want to put your feet up for this, child. This is going to take a while to put in plain words the true origins of the Divan Beings and the true history of Xanadu. So you best have a seat," recommended Seto to her as she did as she was told. He took a deep breath and then using his Rod created a colossal living illustration that played out their own history before their very eyes.

"Long ago long before this universe was even conceived into its beautiful existence, there was another universe, our universe, the first Xanadu," narrated Seto to them, as if he were telling a bedtime fairy-tale to a small child. That was what the truth of their origins had become too many, a simple bedtime story.

"Our universe was beyond words of beauty and was truly a real Xanadu. There was nothing but peace and tranquility. There was no war, or hunger, or pain. No concept of anything evil or sinful at all. We're all most gods the fabric of that wonderful universe was mere child play to on a whim command. We seemed to have evolved to a point of true perfection. Furthermore, it was beyond doubt a happy and prospers time. It seemed like an endless beautiful dream world that you'd never wake up from.

Unlike here where everyone is forced to live with up sine in addition to absurd rules and there isn't an ounce of freedom of any kind back their everyone was free to be whoever and whatever they dreamed off and lived a life free of fear.

Now everything in life has magic within their souls. Some beings are just more talented in taping it then others. While we know for a fact that humans have no 'magic' as we do it is rumored they have magic power, a magic power so great it rivals that which is the source of all our power as well what gives us all in this city immortally. The Heart of Xanadu,"

"The Heart of Xanadu? What's that?" Mana piped up curiously as she seemed memorized by the images of her people former home. It was truly a breath-stealing as it was more attractive along with with that it felt more genuine in addition to alive then this one she was in. She giggled at the sight of newborns trying to take to the air on their short stubby wings and what appeared to be a to a certain extent unusual star hovering over a most beautiful palace.

"You see that 'star' above the old palace?" asked Mahad too her as she nodded. "You notice how it seems to beat? As if it where alive?" Mana nodded again she wasn't very fast on the uptake. "That was the Heart of Xanadu,"

"Wow! You mean to say our former home had a giant star as its heart?"

"Well, Mana the truth in that manner is this. Each and everyone world that hold life on them, in fact, have some type of a 'heart'. These "Hearts" are the holder of each world's life-force as well as its magic. Ours, however, was far more powerful. It was so powerful this Heart had its own mind," Mahad started to put in plain words however Mana interrupted him before he could finish.

"You mean to say that the Heart was alive? Like you and me? Not just some super powerful chunk of crystallized magic?"

"How about I finish the tale and then you'll understand Mana?" Seto told her who obeyed him. He started once again to tell them their people story.

"It did seem to be a perfect world that would last till kingdom come. Nevertheless, it would seem nothing good can last forever. Little by little our people started to change for the worse. They become contaminated with evil's poisonous seeds. Bit by bit we went from being noble as well as a peaceful angelic race to winged demons of hell.

"It was like a light that was supposed to protect us was now and forever extinguished from our hearts. As the pandemonium and insanity grew more of our people crossed a line that couldn't be crossed back and after finally after five millenniums of this madness and our Heart unable to help us Xanadu went from the perfect gem of the universe to dust and fell."

"The few remaining survivors of this self-inflicted genocide used the last fragment of the dying Heart of our home and departed the ruined universe and came here hoping for a second chance to be granted to them. The Heart then led us for a long time till we at last found 'kindred spirits'. The Devine Beasts who were like long lost kin to us. Seeing how they seemed to be infected with the same psychosis that destroyed us. The last King of our world took commanded and led us to help out these creatures to save them from what had happened to our world.

We then built this new city but it would seem, despite the fact we left the old Xanadu behind the evil that destroyed remained within the lost soul of my uncle and my father. Countless people and I include, over and over again wonder the same unanswered question. Why the Heart seemed to fail to stop the annihilation of the original Xanadu or why it hasn't done anything to stop this evil here. We may never know," Seto concluded with the tale.

"I don't get it. You said the Heart alive and it very powerful, like almost omnipotent? Then why didn't it save its people as you said? What stopped it from keeping the evil at bay? Why did a Living Heart that has a mind of its own allow such a great race to kill itself to almost extinction and allow this city to continue living?" Mana asked in puzzlement.

"We may never know the answers. No one completely understands the power of a World's Heart. But the ancient scrolls say there are few souls who are chosen by fate to control these powers. Only those of royal blood like our King and his son can control the Heart power. Still like you and Seto I wonder myself how is it someone who has no heart of his own can control something that requires a heart to make it beat." Mahad inquired out loud to the others.

The trio then completed their task of manufacturing a new governess. They allowed the new life to go through the 'rebirth' process. After starting the 'regeneration process' the trio went down to the dining hall where they meet up with the rest of the Court. All of the Guardians looked extremely depleted as well as miserable. Each of their wings seemed to give off just how much fatigue they felt as they dragged upon the diamond floor.

"Hello, Isis. How did your day go? Did you and Karim make any good matches in the Fire Zone today?" inquired Mana inquisitively, to the only other female in the whole palace.

The lovely lady smiled upon the innocent girl however her dark navy eyes couldn't conceal the pain she felt for this sweet innocent girl. Isis knew all too well, that Aknamkanon and his brother love to break people and that wasn't always meant figuratively. Mana was such a vibrant and wonderful girl and didn't deserve the painful immortal life she was born into.

"Mana, choosing a life partner for someone else isn't very unproblematic. You know very well the custom of our people. Divine Beings all have their parents settle on who your partner is before we're even born. But twice a month during the full moon and new moon, Karim and I are required to go to the many different Zones and select partners for all the Divine Beasts. It's not an easy child at all," she told her in an indifferent tone.

"It's also not very satisfying or right in any manner! We've had no right to force upon someone, someone else for all time! I don't care that King Aknamkanon says it's for breeding purpose to ensure a strong and good population. So all the future off-spring only have the finest bloodlines. But is wrong to mess with matters of the heart," Kareem said bitterly as they took their seats at the gold and crystal table.

"You think you've had it bad? You won't like what Shadi and I have had to deal with from dawn till dusk for about a fortnight. Pure souls of innocent creatures all just desiring a little freedom and a chance to have some fun. Today I was forcing the ultimate punishment upon three Harpy Ladies sisters," Shada shaking his head sadly.

"What did they do that was so wrong? I know winged vixens like them can be a little restless especially during certain of the year. Like the solstices and equinox. What did the lovely ladies do that made them become…mortal?" Shimon asked the tattoo bald man who was looking at his Key with disgust in his piercing blue eyes.

"They're just flying. In a race for fun and went too high. Just three inches too high, three blasted inches! As the Spirit of Judgment and Loyal Protector, I went in those vixens minds. No, I raped their minds! They're just being themselves and I tore all the way through from beginning to end of their minds. I could hear them screaming in pain but I kept going till I was finished. Then because they flew a little too high we were forced to make all three of them mortal. Mortal! For the reason that they flew three lousy inches! I don't know how much longer I can do this," Shadi said from beneath his golden mask. He only wore it if he was in a really foul mood.

"Try to cheer up Shadi. Prince Atem is near of age and he will soon be the Holder of the Heart. Then we'll be out of harm's way," Shimon said brightly. A warm smile within his bread and his light lavender wings flutter hopeful.

"No offenses old friend. But my Uncle has done a very good job of making my cousin anything but the savior we need," Seto said in to dampen the tone of the spirit to the short old vizier.

"What do you mean? I may've been stuck in an infinite archive for the last 14 years but how bad can the King be to his own son?"

"Very bad," was all Seto said as the thunderous boom of his own father and uncle came flying in. By the mad look in their eyes, they have been up to something in their private tower. King Aknamkanon surveyed all over the grand as well luxury dining room and then said tranquility and gently.

"Well, I'm pleased that all of you've done your task without delay and without questioning my authority or judgment. Very good I'll be sure to reward you'll later for a good job. That I'm most delighted with all of you performances, Xanadu is beyond doubt a paradise because of your hard work and devotion to a beautiful dream! Now can any of you answer one simple question?" he paused for a moment of drama. Each and everyone but Aknadin looked extremely uncomfortable about their King's gaze upon them. He finally spoke to them and it sound like the Big Bang only about a billion times worse.

"WHERE IN THE HELL IS MY STUPID SON, ATEM?!"

No one said anything for they truthful had no idea where the prince was at all.


	2. Entrapment of Duty

Entrapment of Duty

The Prince was in fact nowhere within the city. He was at a location called Harmony Bridge. It's where the golden sunbeams of the dawn became fused as one with a sliver of the moons night rays. The skies that resided above this small stretch of "land" where forever dancing rainbow of glittering colors dotted with the softest of clouds. It was a place of peace as well as tranquility. It was also the only spot between Xanadu and Earth that neither had any claim too.

To the eyes of humans, this was merely crack of dawn becoming the start of the day regularly, with the infrequently Northern Lights. To the citizens of Xanadu, it was merely a historical celestial phenomenon. It was on this Bridge that the truce that had ended the madness of the War of Shadows had been signed and the King had been named.

Right now on the soft cotton white cloud was Atem. He was leaning back with his hands behind his head and legs planted firmly on the cloud and crises crossed. He looked like he was taking a nap, to be honest. He sorta was trying to nap but not too sleep, to dream. He had been told once by Mahad during his lessons that dream where to sustain by a person memories. He was hoping he could force himself to remember someone important to him, his mom, Queen Samira.

His mom had vanished from his life when he was only four years old and he could barely recall anything about her. He couldn't even remember her voice or touch. He had asked his father at first what happened to his mom and when she be coming home. He kept asking the same question for over a year with no answer. Nevertheless a year and after, later he got his 'answer' to his question but the manner it was answered it wasn't good for him in any manner. After his father had hit him with a blow that would for a human have been the equivalent of hit head-on with a tank as well as listening to his father rant and rave for several hours how "Savage and devious human beings there'll nothing but homicidal monsters!" he didn't bring her up again or for that matter too much of anything to anger his father.

He had come to this spot hoping he could at least catch a glimpse of her in his dreams but it seemed he didn't even have dreams to dream. He would sleep for hours but not seeing anything in his mind. After several hours of trying yet again to bring about a memory of his mom, he gave up.

He sat up and stretched his beautiful body out at the same time as he spread his wings wide. The only thing his father seemed to love about him was his external beauty. Atem was very attractive to the eye. He was tall with a nice well tone body and sharp elegant features and a soothing deep velvet voice that would melt more then the golden sun. He was like a flawlessly sculpted sculpture bestowed the breath of life and was even more beautiful then Galatea had been. His eyes were smooth pools of melted amethyst in sharp piercing shaped eyes and his most unique attribute was his hair. His hair was truly only one of its kinds. One of the only things he had left of his mother. His hair defied logic and reason as well as gravity. It was shaped like a huge star tipped with dark crimson filled in by jet black and then gold blonde bangs. He may've had his father's eyes but he had his mom's hair.

His beautiful large wings gently swayed in the calm celestial breeze. His wings were without a doubt beautiful. They were angel wings; they were a silvery white with rainbow tips and a gold outward sheen with glittering multicolored sparkles in them. They went well with his Egyptian look he was clothed in. It was the only thing his father liked about Earth.

"Those cursed mortal abominations are the worst thing in all of existence! Monsters that are beyond repulsive as well as so blemished, why they haven't blown up the revolting chuck of unsanitary sludge and water already is beyond me! The only thing the humans did right was Egypt! It was such a Perfect Society in its prime. So beautiful and exotic as well as powerful! It was like an earthly Xanadu! Humans have made a billion things wrong but the only thing right was Egypt!" King Aknamkanon had said many times.

Sighing heavily he gazed around for a few moments before realizing how late it was! The sun chariot was almost completed with its daily ride and the moon one was about to take flight. Cursing himself he spread his wings and flew. He flew fast that he outshined even the best shooting stars. He was naturally gifted when it came to flying. All the people in the palace all agreed they never seen such an out of this world sight as to when the prince flew.

But though many would be laughing or smiling if they were born with the ability to fly higher then even the heavens, Atem was doing neither. In fact, he felt numb all over. He didn't feel even a tiny tingle of joy as the solar wind tickled his handsome face. Atem did a few fancy flips where mere child play for him as he finally saw his home. Hoping to the Heart of Xanadu he hadn't been caught sneaking out again. He found his secret passage on the edge of the left wing tip. His father barrier didn't just make the city impossible to be found by the human's weird and wonderful pieces of machinery that floated in the black skies, it also made it impossible for the most part for anyone to come and go without permission. Fortunately there where a few weak spots he was unaware of and Atem had exploited them any chance he could manage!

He dived bombed the narrow wedge and flew in like he was a bullet out of a nine-millimeter gun! Once he was in he waved his hand at the same time as the weird and wonderful golden pyramid shaped puzzle around his neck glowed in sync. He used small magic to conceal the wedge and then continued to go home. He flew high over the hundred of imprisoned immortal souls of his people.

Even despite the fact that he heard their cries of anguish in addition to hearing day in and day out their pleas for someone to come save them he could do nothing. He didn't feel anything from them. He simply didn't understand their feelings at all for he didn't understand what emotions and feelings were!

He landed quietly on his balcony and hurried to go to the ceremonial dinner, however, was roughly grabbed from behind and hurled into the wall behind his bed. He made a very deep indentation before he slammed down on the semiprecious stone and diamond floor of his room. He felt the sharp toes kick him hard in the abdomen and felt the magical energy snitch his clothes.

Any normal person would have cried out in pain if their parent was hurting them this bad. A normal person would be a blood-spattered tear-stained mess. A normal person could call the police and have the abuser incarcerated. However, Atem was anything but normal. He endured this torment on a daily basis without release. A medical doctor could examine Atem from head to toe and never find anything.

One of the bad things about being a Divine Being was being incapable to shed tears or bleed. It was impossible for them. Aknamkanon could beat the living shit out of his son till kingdom come and Atem would still look like a god. He just learned to take it as it came and try to get it over with as quickly as possible. He knew his father attention span was very short so it is over quick in less something was really irritating him. Then it'd last for perhaps a couple of hours.

"You've any idea what time it is?! Dinner was severed two and half seconds ago, how could you be so belatedly?!" Aknamkanon yelled as he blasted him with his magic staff all the way into a very large wall mirror.

"I'm so sorry, Father. I was out flying and I lost track of time. I do apologize for being so late," he replied meekly as he got on his knees and groveled. He was hoping the worst was over however he wasn't so lucky. The king had just begun to chew his son out like he was a piece of chewing gum.

"How can my magnificent empire grow and thrive, if my only son, my heir behaves like such a child? Where're you flying? You didn't tell one of the Guardians! In fact when I asked a second ago none of them knew where the Hell you where!" he screamed in a voice like a howling hurricane as he yanked Atem up by the roots of his beautiful hair and made a pit of golden flames dance beneath his bare feet that began to mischievously snap at his feet.

"I was just flying around, honest! It was nowhere in particular, I was just joy flying. Please, please Father let me go," Atem whimpered like a puppy that had made a mess in the wrong place. If he had a tail it would be between his shaking legs.

"I've done a lot for you, my one and only son, all out of the goodness of my heart. You ought to be very grateful to have such loving in addition to devoted father as well as being an immortal prince of the greatest society in the universe! As a replacement for all that all you've done of late is shown me nothing but contempt as well as lack of respect. Do you wish to bring upon further ignominy, Atem?" he asked him in a calm voice.

"No sir, I do not wish to dishonor you as my king or father. It will not happen again," he replied in a deadpan tone to his sire. His sire then dropped like he was a bag of garbage before walking to the doorway.

"Good I'm glad we got that straighten up. Now clean yourself up and get to dinner in exactly five minutes not one second later or I'll have punished you. Make sure you dress nicely its most unbecoming of you to make yourself so filthy remember your royalty and must always look the part. See you in five minutes son!" with that he spread his wings and flew through the golden and diamond archway doors.

He did as he was told and reported to dinner. The table was very quiet and dead. No one was laughing or trading gossip or anything. It was just not extremely vivacious. He merely picked at his food which had no taste to it all. After about an hour of this, he respectfully excused himself and went out to the gardens.

He walked in a meaningless way all the way through his father artificial perfect summer night. The fireflies danced in a classy manner in the midst of the radiant moon lotus blooms. He came to a large tree in the heart of the garden. This tree was the last tree from the land of their birth. It had been a seedling when the people had left the original Xanadu. It had been planted here on the day of the city completion as a sign for a hopeful and bright future. It seemed to go on forever with many branches intertwine with its soft beautiful colored flowers and leaves.

He vaguely remembered playing around this tree as a toddler with his mom. But each day that memory and any memory of his mother fade further from his mind. He pressed his hand against the tree trunk and tried to hear its song. To let it tell him how it was feeling and if there was any hope left. However, the tree song of hope had faded like the prince memory.

"Excuse me, my Prince the King has requested a private audience with you that is too take place in ten minutes. We best be going or faces his wrath," Seto told his cousin as he materializes from behind a number of jonquil and daffodil.

"Oh, hello Seto. The lovely night is it not?" he asked his older cousin sheepishly.

"Isn't every day and night the same as the one that came before it? A never-ending perfect summer day?" he replied to him as they flew to the throne room. A race would've been fun sadly however neither knew what that word was or meant.

They arrived a few minutes earlier just as both their fathers were finishing having some kind of a discussion. Atem noticed out the corner of his eye an Orb of World being exchanged. That seemed a bit odd. An Orb of World was like an Earth snow globe. It showed a world in its prime. It also was like a pocket-sized piece of the world with all the data on that world, everything and anything about that world and its inhabited would be concealed within the Orb.

After a few more moments the men notice their sons' presence. Aknamkanon whispered something in his brother's left ear and gave him something else which Atem couldn't tell what.

"See you later tonight brother,"

"Yes, we'll congregate at the starlight tower tonight as planned. I'll be there waiting for my brother. Seto comes, let you cousin and uncle discusses their business in private. We've got some other matters to attend too," Aknadin command to his son who simply bowed and followed.

Atem dropped too his knees and cowered. He had no idea what dim-witted oversight he had committed, but he was ready for the thrashing. He just wanted to get it over and go to bed. He waited for what felt like an eternity which was a mere ten seconds to an immortal.

"Arise Atem! Get off that filthy floor before you tarnish your clothes or worse wrinkle them!" his father bellowed too him. Surprised he stood up and smoothed his clothes out to avoid the wrinkles.

"Why have you summoned me, Father? I know I commit the great error of being late for dinner and I do express regret for committing such a heinous transgression. I humbly request your forgiveness for my human oversight and I give you a full admission of my guilt for the misdemeanor," he told him as he stared at his feet.

"Put out of your mind that sin it has already been dealt with accordingly. What I've summoned you for is to have a very serious discussion about your future and the future of our fair city Xanadu," he told him as he fingered the Heart of Xanadu around his neck.

Atem looked up and stared at the Heart for a moment. On a long thick golden chain with their native dialect engraved all over it was the last piece of the Heart of their fallen world. It was held within a golden clasp with a twilight colored protective crystal over the Heart that was held in place by two gold eye emblems. The Heart was like a star in a way. It had a tiny faint light glowing in the center with numerous crystals bursting outward from its center.

"My future?" he asked baffled, "What do you mean Father?"

"Atem as you know when you come of age in three months there is going to be some serious changes needed to be done,"

"Changes? What changes do you speak of? What is so important about my eighteenth birthday on March 18th? Other then it's my golden birthday? What's so significant?" he inquired to his father questioningly.

"When you've ascended from being a child to a man and your divan powers are at their peak you'll be able to become the new king of this world. I will give you the Heart and you shall reign over this magnificent city in the exact way I've taught you too," he began to tell him till Atem interrupted,

"Me? As the King of Xanadu? But I would still be so inexperienced and you just give me the most powerful object in the known universes?" he asked confused. He had seen his father with that talisman and knew he cared about it a lot more then him. Still what was going on?

"Put your restless mind at ease, dear son of mine. I will stay and guide you through your first year of being the new sovereign. Therefore you can comprehend completely how to use the Heart awesome power to reign over this perfect society. After you get the hang of resigning over this society, your uncle and I are going to go out to other worlds and show them the way to become a Xanadu themselves. In eighteen years you'll then come to join us in this noble quest,"

"Why would I come and join you? Who would be left to guide and protect our world?" asked the beautiful winged prince. He didn't know why but the pit of his stomach was starting to feel very upset. It felt very strange for his normally numb and empty body to experiences anything at all.

"Your own progeny would take over as you would expect," his father told him in a very flat tone.

Atem however recoiled. He had known all his 17 years of that his culture was involved in arranged marriages but this didn't seem right. "Father why should I be forced to marry a woman that I've never meet, who have never even known there is another sex other then females?" he stuttered valiantly.

He got slapped hard from corner to corner of his beautiful cut jawbone for his inquiry. "I do hope when you walk down the aisle, that you lose this juvenile demeanor you cling too so much. Why a good breed prince who is about to become a king acts so immature is such a puzzling conundrum to me. You may if you wish send one of the servants to look over your bride to be. Her name is Serafina and she lives in the Seraphim Tower that faces the dawn. Now we'll speak more about this at a later time. I must go now. Good night, Prince Atem," as he left his flabbergasted son standing alone in the dark room.

He flew to his room and fell into another dreamless slumber. He awoke before the dawn the next day and sought out Mahad. Out of all the Sacred Guardians, he was the only one next to Seto it seemed he could talk too.

"Mahad please arise! Please!" he whispered urgently as he shook the poor magician from his slumber. "Huh, huh what's going on?" asked a sluggish Mahad as he woke up. Without his normal headpiece, his long chocolate locks was very much a rat's nest and if Atem had known what humor was he would've found it hilarious that Mahad had a handmade Chiba Dark Magician toy under his right arm.

"Mahad I need you now!" pleaded Atem to Mahad who finally realized who awoke him. "Atem! What are you doing up in the early hours? What's the matter prince?" he asked as he hid his plushy under his pillow.

"I if truth be told need you too go to Seraphim Tower and look for a young female named Serafina who resides there. I need you to spend some time with her. Please do this honorable favor for me," he asked he groveled on his knees to the fabled magician before him

"Atem please stand up, like I told Mana yesterday, show yourself a little dignity, will you? Or has your 'father' stripped that from your as well?" asked Mahad as he materialized his clothes with the help of his Ring.

"Please Mahad this is important!" pleaded the young prince to him.

"Who is this woman exactly and why must I follow her for a few days?" he asked in a reluctant tone as he swallowed his morning drink in one gulp.

"She is to be my…wife. My consort when I assume the throne on my 18th birthday," he confessed. This statement almost immediately changes Mahad whole outlook on the prince dilemma. Mahad had lived a long time and would live till the day immortality ended. But he knew very well the most ancient and sacred laws of his culture. He understood that Atem wanted too know exactly what his new wife would be liked.

"I will go immediately to find this "Serafina" my liege. Could you do me a small favor in turn though?"

"Sure what do you want to be done?"

"Just spend the day with Mana. She's already a nervous wreck and I figure if her magic is ever going to blossom she needs to unwind a little. So just spend the day with her ok?"

"I can do that. Where are her chambers?"

"Go up two floors and take a left. Her door is bright blue and pink you can't miss it. I'll return in 72 hours times with the information you require my prince," as spread his wings and disappeared.

Over the next three days, he spent time with Mana and consult the other guardians about the marriage. He didn't know why but that sick feeling in his stomach was only getting worse. If it where possible for him to be sick he might've thought he had an ulcer. He was so consumed by this alien feeling he failed to notice that his father and uncle seemed to have an incredibly sinful agenda with their 'noble quest' they intended to pursue after Atem first year as king.

Finally three days past and Mahad returned to see Atem in the dead of night. It was long after the moon had risen into the skies above them. He placed his hand over the prince's mouth to stop him from screaming. Looking back and forth he cast both a spell of illusion and silence so they could speak undisturbed.

"Prince Atem I come bearing the news you have got a request from me," he said in a grave tone.

"Mahad! What's with all this? Couldn't you've told me tomorrow? Why the subterfuge? What's wrong? Why are you looking and sounding like that?" Atem inquired perplexed as a fresh stab of the feeling in his stomach hit him.

He was very quiet for a few moments then he placed his palms together and then slowly opened them. In his hands, he cradled a live amethyst flame as if it were a delicate butterfly. Within the flame was a young woman who Atem assumed was Serafina.

She was very beautiful as he expected. His father prized beauty above all things. She was the meaning of beauty this goddess of the clouds. Going from top to bottom he looked her over carefully. She had very long sky blue silky-smooth tresses flowing in a cascading manner for miles. Her face was a perfect heart with thin delicately curved eyebrows and huge almond shape burgundy eyes concealed under long ravishing eyelashes. Her high rosy cheekbones accented her full sparkling rose red lips as well as the bright magenta markings under her eyes. Her baby smooth alabaster skin shown brightly against her beautiful clothes that were obviously woven from only the finest sunset cloud-fabric that even the goddess Athena of the Greek mythology would've been envious of. Her jewelry was only from the finest the infinite universe could offer.

"She is quite beautiful," he replied honestly to Mahad.

"She may be a beautiful as the first rose of spring my prince but to be frank her head is as empty as the pot which you put the flower in. Observer," Atem watch as the girl was really an airhead. She couldn't do anything not even feed or dress. She was even vainer and shallow then his father. Her voice was so high and whiny it shatters glass, and when she broke a silly nail she acted like it was the end of the world. It was also very apparent she couldn't even hold an ounce of intelligent in her head. She was just a porcelain doll just made too stand there and look pretty. He gazes at the image as all her servants had too choice for her where or not to be dressed in the pink satin dress or the green one, despite the fact that they're the same dress just different colors. She even asked what the name of the colors where four times!

Atem was just shocked. This was the maiden he was too be magical bond too for all time? This couldn't be! "Mahad please tell me you're jesting. I cannot spend the rest of eternity with this girl!"

"I don't jest my prince. I do not mean to make you feel any worse but when I was there she asked me once who I was. I told her I was a close associate to her future groom and she said, "Oh my new manicurist! Tell him I expect him to do my nails twice a week along with a foot massage and I don't want the cheap cosmetics for they cause me to break out so nasty. Whoo. That will be all now get out!"

Atem didn't say anything. He just spread his wings and flew quickly and too his father room and awoke. "Father please wake up! We've got to talk now! Father!" he pleaded urgently to him only too be grabbed by his wings and hurled into a statue.

"Who dares has the audacity to awaken the king before the dawn brings the sunrise?!" he screamed loudly.

"I do, Father. We need to talk now!" he said as he shook himself to get his sense back in order.

"Atem? Why must you disturb me in such an early hour? I thought you promised not too further dishonor me or our culture?" he asked as his eyes became narrow amethyst chips.

"This is about our culture, Father! I just received word on my bride to be. She is a beautiful airhead! Please, Father, you can't really expect me to marry someone I never meet who never meet me. From the news I received, she is nothing more then a doll! She has no brains or personality and doesn't even comprehend she is to tie the knot in a little while. Please, Father, don't make me go through with this!" he pleaded with him.

"You can act so immature at times! She is beautiful and has a great bloodline as the last heir of one of the original noble house from our home world. What more do you need in marriage? Besides beauty and fine breeding?"

"What about love or companionship? Marriage should be more then looks! Marriage is the agreement to spend your life with someone because they love you and you love them!" he argued.

"Love?! Love is merely a figment of the imagination. It doesn't really exist at all! A silly concept that brutal humans preach in lies to all to ensnare their victims to their death!" Aknamkanon ranted with much venom on his tongue.

"Surely you married Mom for more then her beauty didn't you? She believed in love and she believed it was more then just a fairy tale!" Atem spoke bravely only to receive the worst beating he ever suffered at his sire hands.

"Have you failed to remember it's was because of the lie of "love" your mother is no longer with us? How the humans tricked her with its empty promises and made her willingly give up her wings and then murder her? Have you failed to remember that my son?!" he yelled as the magical energy continued to shoot through him.

"Father," he said through the spasms of energy ravaging his body, "You've decided everything from now till kingdom come for me. What I wear too how many times I chew my food before swallowing. Could you just let me for once in my life choices for myself who I want to spend my life with forever?"

"You truly wish to dishonor the ways we've lived by since the beginning of time. Your mother ruined your mind by putting all those human ideas into you! Look what it got her death! Believing in the gobbledygook of love she received only death! She could've lived forever but no she believed in a foolish lie and clipped her own wings and then was put to death for her fool's choice! Do you wish that fate, Atem too die?! Or will you be the obedient son I know you are and do as you're told?" Aknamkanon asked him unemotionally. Atem hung his head in silent submission to his father superiority.

"Good now get out and we'll have no more of this childish behavior. We won't discuss this matter any further. You understand Atem, the subject is closed. When your birthday comes you'll wed Serafina as it's been planned since before either of you where conceived. You'll thank me one day for all the great things I've done for you my son," as Atem walk quietly out the door.

Atem went in secret to each member of the court with the exception of his father and uncle for advice as well as any way to escape this unwanted fate. He didn't really understand why this was getting too him so bad. He had always done what his father had wanted him to do before. No questions or anything he just did as he was told like the obedient son he been brought up to be. So why did this upset him so much?

Of course, no one had any real answer. They couldn't see a way out of this. They'll agree being forced to be magically bonded to such a ridicules excuse for a wife wasn't right at all. On the other hand, they'll know too well as long as the King held the power, they're unable to help. For all their great power they couldn't do anything at all.

A fortnight later Atem was sulking in Mahad's Lair attempting too avoided his father. Mahad and Mana were trying to do some undisclosed assignment that his uncle had charged them with two months ago but just now had the time to work on it.

"Mana please can you get me a pinch of dry worm salt? While you're at it I also could do with some calendula, larkspur as well as an aquamarine, alexandrite and a zircon. Top shelf on the right side,"

"Here you go Master Mahad. I don't know why but I also think this may come in handy. It's a dream gem. It's supposed to have extraordinarily out of the ordinary powers," as she handed a small almond shape gemstone.

"Thank you, Mana. Thinking out of the box is a good sign. Now we add your dream gem and speak the ancient spells together and we'll be done,"

Nodded confidently they began to do their spell this caught Atem attention as they performed their magic. After a few brief moments, the magical ritual was done and their desire was filled. He couldn't see what they had made but they did seem pleased they had done it.

Getting up from his seat he walked over to the work table and saw the object they had conjured up. It was some type of a harness. It looked like black and gold leather with their language stitched into it.

"Mahad what exactly is this?" asked Atem has he inspected it closely. He could feel the magic surging through it.

"This is a restraint harness your uncle ordered us to fashion for him. It's meant to immobile a Devine Being's wings rendering them useless. He wants multiple copies prepared. For both the Beings and the Beasts for fear that of an uproar or mutiny. Once on only the undoing spell can remove it. As one of Royal Blood, I'm positive you would be much too powerful, therefore you need not the spell to remove it. On the other hand, your wings would be still immobilized until you yourself removed the harness. Not that you ever need to wear it," Mahad explain to him.

Just then a huge explosion was heard outside as they all raced over to the window to see what the hell was going on. There was some kind of riots going on outside. It was like a war zone all happening in slow motion. As the battle continued to go on more and more of the Devine Beings were called upon to try and restore order before Aknamkanon came too deal with this.

"Mana, please take Atem back too his room quickly then join me outside! We must get this under control before the Beasts are needlessly turned mortal!" instructed Mahad as he leaped from the window and joined the other guardians in a vain attempt to stop the insanity ensuing around them.

"Come on Prince let's get going" as she dragged a very reluctantly Atem with her back to his room. She then used her magic to lock the door behind her as she went to join her mentor outside. But in her rush, she hadn't realize two things. One Atem still had the harness and two his balcony that faced the opposite direction of the riots was still open.

Atem could hear as clear as crystal the riots outside. However, that wasn't what was holding his attention. The commotion outside was enough of a distraction for his father power over the Hear to lesson enough to see Earth. Atem hadn't dared for the past two weeks sneak off. Now he could hear in his mind screaming to him "That your ticket out of here goes! While everyone busy go!" If he went too Earth he could hide and escape marrying Serafina and being trapped forever in a life already planned out for him. But if he went to Earth and was found he be made mortal and never fly again either. He may not have been very full of emotion or feelings but he did love having the ability to fly.

Still, after a few more seconds he made his choice. He tucked the harness under his shirt and leaped off his balcony and flew faster then he ever flown before. He reaches the edge of the barrier in a heartbeat and squeezed through the wedge and then with one last look flew to the most forbidden place in the universe too him.

The mysterious as well as beautiful planet is known as Earth.


	3. A Real Angel

A Real Angel

Atem rapidly descended upon the forbidden world. He quickly surveyed the planet before finally making the choice to land in Japan. Knowing his father loved Egypt so much he might think he go there to hide as it was the only place on the planet he knew a little about. If he did come looking for him that be the first place he goes looking. Japan was very far away and he vaguely commits to memory his mom telling him a few of the country most breathtaking as well as colorful mythology as bedtime stories.

He descended the twilight skies like a ghost and landed without a sound in a back alleyway, of the unnamed city, he had come to conceal himself in. Using small magic which wasn't so simple to become aware of as big magic was he transformed his princely outfit into a school uniform.

Taking off the dark blue jacket of the uniform he then at a snail's pace folded his wings behind his back and then slipped on the magical harness. It stung for a moment as they became frozen, still, he just grinned and bore it. After a moment he felt a cooling relief sensation overtake him. He slipped the jacket back on and then start to walk out of the alleyway but was stopped when three large ominous shadows loomed over him.

He turned his gaze upon the source of the shadows and saw three young men dressed all in black. Each was very buff and had a steely lifeless look to their eyes as well as a strange green gem around their necks. Still, he walked calmly up to them not even giving their sinister sneers a second thought. Being so unfamiliar with Earth culture he didn't understand he was in some danger.

"Excuse me your in my way. If you be so kind and move aside I'll be on my way," he said to them only too have them laugh at him. "I fail to see what so amusing. Please move now," he said a little stronger this time.

The shortest of the trio laughed till his head almost fell off his shoulders, and said with a strangely accented voice, "Looky mates this bloke is being a blooming gentleman! Being so pleasant as well as well-mannered. Is that any way to treat us with respect I ask you?" to his buddies.

"No Valon it's not," spoke the redhead with a mischievous smirk on his pale face.

"I'm sorry if I have done something to insult your character, however, I will be going when you move out-of-the-way. To make somebody's day and move," he commanded to them. When they didn't do as he said he shrugged. "Fine then," he attempted to squeeze between the short brunette haired one when the biggest one with blonde hair pulled a knife out on him stopping him in his tracks.

He just stared at the blade unaware that it was meant to do him bodily harm. "Listen up boy. You don't come to our territory and leave without paying your toll first," spoke the blonde muscle head.

"I am afraid I've got no currency on me. Although I will be happy to compensate you, men, later on," Atem told them as he started to step back as the redhead advance on him.

"Look, you dolt. You made the mistake of coming into the shark-infested waters of the Doom Gang. Now we'll send you to your doom in less you cough up some kind of payment now!"

"You tell him, Alistair!" Valon said as he closed off the only other exist.

"Shut up you two! The boss won't be very happy with any of us if we don't get this runt to pay us now!" snapped viciously the leader to his two cronies.

"Sheesh! Raphael we know the drill like by heart!" retorted Alistair as he got very close to Atem who was now backed up against a wall with a green geometric star smother on it.

"Let me pass or you'll face your own doom," Atem told them in a low voice. They laughed which he tried to use too his advantage and make a break for it by leaping on top of the blonde and flipping over him. He almost made it to the end of the alleyway when he was yanked from behind and threw hard into a set of metal trash cans.

Alistair then pinned his arms behind his back and twist his wrist hard. He was drooling eagerly to hear him scream in anguish from the unbelievable pain. However was thoroughly shocked when he didn't scream surprised by the lack of pain, Valon then kicks and punched him but yet again to no avail.

"What's the deal, with this bloke? Can't he feel pain or does he have that thing where he can feel anything at all?" asked a baffled Valon after Atem was left in a heap on the dirty garbage covered cement. However, there wasn't any mark on him and he didn't seemed too be in any kind of pain at all.

"Well whether or not he can feel pain, I know we'll enjoy seeing him bleed before we take that gold pendant around his stupid neck. Get him up boys I like to get it off quickly so we can get back to Dartz!" Raphael barked to them in an insane tone.

The boys seized the semi-conscious Atem firmly at the same time as Raphael moved in to cut the chain that held the Puzzle around the prince neck as well as silt the boy's throat. However just as he was about to do so a voice from behind him startled him and he missed the neck and nicked the chin. The Doom Gang didn't even notice how the razor-sharp knife blade hadn't even blemished the boy beautiful flawless skin.

"Hey, you bullies! Leave him alone!" called out a voice defiantly from the end of the alleyway. The men in the black leather snapped around and snickered at the sight of the stranger's would be a rescuer.

"Little Yugi Moto? Ha, Ha! What do you think a shrimp like you gonna beat us up? That's a great joke!" laughed Valon till he keeled over from the laughing.

"Yeah what you gonna do?" Alistair asked as he lightly fingered a metal chain on his leg.

The boy just stood there. He went right up to them and despite the fact that all of them towered him a great deal he wouldn't be intimated. "I said leave him alone. Now go!" he said as he got between them and Atem. He spread his arms wide and his face took a very serious look on it.

"Well boys it looks like we'll have to teach the would-be superman a lesson," Raphael told him. Yugi just grunted showing he won't let them harm Atem to any further extent.

"Yeah in real life heroes until the end of time is crushed," Valon remarked as pulled out a wrench. The boys now began to do violence to Yugi who just continued to shelter Atem from the blows. He was being even more beat up but he just won't run to save himself even when the opportunity did present its self. He just wouldn't leave Atem.

Atem finally awoke just as Yugi had been thrown into the brick wall as the two cronies held his short arms forcefully to the wall and Raphael then sucker punched him. Atem felt something start surging inside of him. It was like someone had lit a fire and it was spreading all over his body.

This boy who didn't know him had placed his mortal life in danger to help a completely unfamiliar person. He just watched as the weird and wonderful sensation grew more within him. He saw both the boy as well as himself as the memories of all the times his father had abused him and now these beasts where hurting him. He wouldn't stand back any longer and watch this. Getting up to his feet just as the blonde was about to slit the boy's throat he yelled at them,

"YOU DISHONORABLE BEASTS! YOU'VE PREY UPON THE INNOCENT AND ATTACK THEM FOR YOUR SICK AMUSEMENT! THIS WON'T BE TOLERATED ANY LONGER! YOUR DEMONIC GAME ENDS NOW!" At the same time as a golden supernatural aura envelop him with his Puzzle glowing brighter then the sun. The trio dropped Yugi who was now down for the count from his beating.

"What's going on mates?" asked Valon as he felt a warm sensation going down his legs. "I don't know dude!" replied Alistair who had become even paler. Raphael being a bit braver ran at Atem with his army knife and made an effort to stab the immortal prince but was surprised when the knife shattered into a billion pieces like it been exposed to nitrogen glistering. "What the fuck are you?!" he asked. Atem only said with his eyes full of a golden fire "Mind Crush!" as an Eye emblem lit up on his forehead and a large gold pillar of light went off turning night into day for a few brief moments.

When it was over all the teenagers were all unconscious on the cold alley. That was a very big use of magic. As a direct result of this magical outburst from the prince, three critical things happened all at the same time. Two happened in Xanadu both of good and bad natures. The good thing was for the reason that the sudden occurrence had taken place whilst the uprising where just ending no one had been able to detect it and find out Atem was no longer in Xanadu. The bad thing was something did notice it.

King Aknamkanon had been so preoccupied dealing with the uprising he hadn't notice that the Heart was now glowing much brighter and seemed alive once more. The Heart was now aware that an heir to Xanadu was alive and wasn't corrupted. This may be a good thing for the Heart, on the other hand, it wasn't very good news to Atem who unknowingly just placed himself in very great danger by this act.

The third thing that happened because of Atem's emotional outburst was it caught the attention of Yugi's friends. They have been looking for him and that light show gave them a pretty good idea where he was.

"Man did you see that freaky light show?" asked a blond hair boy as they ran in the direction from which the light came from.

"Dude how could we miss it? I'm thinking all of the city saw it!" a boy with pointy brown hair retorted to his buddy.

"Whatever that was I hope Yugi alright. With the Doom Gang being so close he could get seriously hurt. We all know Yugi he too pure-hearted to stand by and let anyone get beat up by those jerks. I mean the police won't go near them, on the other hand, Yugi will go right up to them even though they outsize him greatly!" replied the only girl in the group. She seemed to be very compassionate as well as an empathic young woman.

"Yugi!" they all exclaimed as the reached the alleyway at last. But the words were sucked out of them as well as their breath as the stared in shock at the scene around them. The cramp dirty all way looked like a bomb had gone off. The trash cans where smashed and twisted in an inhuman manner with the trash spewed all over. There was a huge hole in the center and it looked like some type of scorch marks were on the bricks.

Nevertheless what was most peculiar was the three brutes each had an extremely bizarre look on all their faces. It was beyond words as if someone had done something so atrocious their minds had been blown apart from the inside out.

"Are they dead?" asked the girl quietly at the lifeless bodies and shriek as a rat ran across her feet.

"No Tea they're alive but it's like the Doom Gang is in a coma. I don't know about the other guy though. He looks more like all the energy was sucked out of him," remarked the brown haired boy.

"Where is Yugi then?" asked Tea then the blond spot Yugi who was relatively unharmed in fact he was just coming too.

"Hey, Yugi! Hey, buddy you ok? Don't go scaring us like that for a second time!" exclaimed the blond to his short best friend.

"Sorry, Joey. I didn't mean to worry you all. I just saw the Doom Gang was up to no good and I wasn't about to let them hurt someone else. Not after they hurt Grandpa last week on his way home from the hardware store. All he was doing was coming home to repair my desk and these creeps jumped him,"

"But Yugi you know you can't take on all the world low lives by yourself! You could have been hurt or killed!" the brunette hair boy told him as helped him up.

"I know Tristan, but I'm not out for vengeance I just can't stand by and watch someone get hurt. I can't and I won't. I didn't stand by and let you and Joey get hurt by that bully at school or the creep who tried to assault Tea on her way to dance class did I? Just because I'm short doesn't mean I can't help!" he stated firmly then his large amethyst eyes saw the young boy he been trying to help. Forgetting his own injuries he rushed to the boy side to see if he was alright.

Turning the teenager over to see if he was hurt, they where in for another shock. The boy looked exactly like Yugi. Only he was a bit taller and his hair had a bit more blond. What was also shocking despite the extensive damage all around them this young man was virtually unscathed. He didn't have a mark anywhere on him. He just in all honest looked very exhausted.

"Wow Yugi, you never told us you had a twin," joked Joey who Tristan hit upside the head. "Hey!" as the two began to fight amongst themselves as Tea sighed wishing yet again she had more girlfriends then boys. She then put an end to the two knucklehead's idiocy as Yugi search the boy for some identification but he had not a bit at all. The only thing he did seemed to have, was that weird puzzle around his neck. He remembered that Raphael had tried to take it from him. It did seem to be made of gold and looked like an heirloom of some kind.

"Come on guys help me get him to the game shop. Tea can you call the hospital too come and get them?" asked Yugi at the same time as he slung the unconscious prince over his shoulders. Nodding the boys helped carry Atem back too Yugi home while Tea waited for the hospital ambulance and the police to get there and pick up the crooks. Afterward, she went to meet her friends back at Yugi's humble home.

The bell above the door to the game shop jingled, Solomon looked up from cooking the steak for dinner. Turning off the stove he went to greet his grandson who was late getting home. "Yugi you where supposed to be home before dark why are you… oh my," he said as Yugi and his friends dragged Atem inside.

"Yugi! What's going on! Who is this boy and what happened to you! Come on lay him down on the sofa I'll get the first aid kit from the bathroom," Solomon told the teenagers. Tea came running in just as Solomon finished patching up Yugi's injuries.

"Yugi I know you don't like seeing people suffering but you just can't jump into a situation half-cocked with no idea of what to do should it go south. You've got a good heart grandson. Still, look after yourself once in a while and not everyone else ok? You're my only grandson and family here and I don't want to lose you,"

"Sorry Grandpa, but I had to assist him. He was in trouble and I couldn't stand by and watch him get hurt because of those thugs." Yugi told him as he put an ice pack on his head.

"You three best get home. It's late and your own families will be worried. Thank you for bringing Yugi home tonight,"

"Sheesh, Gramps. It's nothing for us to help our little buddy. We'll stop by tomorrow around brunch time to see how all you're doing! Come on let's book I got to go home anyway. My sister's coming to visits soon and I have got to clean up the house and the guest room for her," Joey said.

"Oh, Serenity is coming?" Tristan said with an eyebrow cocked at the news. "Oh, I can't wait to see that sweet little face of hers again. I wonder if it's possible for her to have become more beautiful then the last time we saw her,"

"Tristan?" Joey said as they left the shop, "Yeah dude ah!" he said as Joey hit him upside the head.

"Boys, I will never understand men not even if I lived to be over a hundred! Come on you two let's get home. I don't about you but whatever happened in that alleyway with that strange boy is giving my inside a feeling that something is going to happen,"

"Like what Tea?" asked Tristan as he massaged the shiner on his forehead.

"I don't know but something is just telling me there more to Yugi's doppelganger then meets the eye," as they all continue to walk home silently in the dark hours of darkness.

Back at the game shop Yugi had made some tea and gotten a few rice cakes prepared for the boy. He just sat there next to him with a very caring looking at his beautiful eyes. The strange boy who looked like him slept on silently. Yugi hoped he was having a peaceful dream after that nightmare that happened only a few hours ago.

"Yugi you've eaten your dinner. The boy isn't going anywhere come eat," Solomon said as he came into the living room.

"Sorry, Grandpa but I want to be here when he wakes up. I've got a feeling he must be in some kind of trouble. I'm pretty sure he isn't from around here because he would've known better then going to the Doom Gang territory,"

"Yugi you've got a very pure heart and a beautiful soul. I think Heaven is very mad that you left for you must be their best angel ever. Ok, I'll put dinner in the fridge. Come get me when he wakes up ok? I'll be downstairs in the shop if you need me," he told him kindly as he walked downstairs.

"Who are you my friend?" asked Yugi as he squeezed the prince's hand in a soothing manner and was pleased when the mysterious boy smiled.

In Atem's mind, he was seeing something that seemed too be real and not real at the same time. It was like a memory of a forgotten dream or dream of a forgotten memory. It started out fuzzy but then came in clear as crystal.

He was hearing a child laughing happily but he didn't recognize the laughter as his own at first. He was about 3 in the gardens playing carefree. Laughing and being just a silly little boy.

"Ha, Ha! You can't catch me! Ha, Ha. She'll never find me now," he giggled as he hid among the flowers. He was so pleased he didn't hear someone come from behind and then pounce on him and began to tickle him too death.

"Mommy! Mommy stop it!" as he tried to squirm free his wings spreading glitter on all the flowers causing them to sing from the glitter enchantment. "Oh no I won't let my little angel fly free till he says the magic word," she teased him lightheartedly as they rolled happily in the beautiful flower beds till they rolled right into the water fountain. Both laughed merrily at the other soaked appearance and tried to help the other up but both fell back on their butts but just laughed some more.

"Come on Yami, let's get out of this water," Samira told her child as she got out of the golden fountain and began to wring out her lengthy tricolor tresses. Atem on the other hand simple hovered for a few minutes and made a zephyr with already beautiful wings and both of them were dried in next to no time.

"Oh Yami, must you do everything the easy way?" she scolded him as she conjured up a swing made of flowers and began to push him. He kicked his little legs happily as his mom laughs at her son amassment. Her long ebony hair blew gently in the backdraft her son wings created as he swung higher and higher. Her golden bangs glisten happily in the sun sweet life-giving rays and her long crimson braids swayed in tune with the song of the tree which she had attached the swing too.

"Oh, Mommy I'm so happy. This is just the perfect day. But why do you always call me "Yami?" My name is Atem," asked the confused child as the swing stopped.

'Yami, my son, do you wish to know I address you by the name Yami and not Atem?"

"Yes, I would like to know very much!"

"As you know very well the only thing your father likes about Earth is the world of Ancient Egypt for he finds it to be the only "perfect" thing human beings did. So when you where born he branded you with the name of the Egyptian Sun God Atem who in the legends created the universe and then procreated with his own shadow.

"To him christening you after a God makes you a God. In his philosophy of life we immortals are better and those with 'divan birthrights" are truly the masters of the universe. In other words, giving you that name is telling the whole universe that your superior to everyone and thing. But that is so far from the truth my son,"

"In life, it doesn't matter whether you will live forever or a limited time. We are all equal in life for no living thing in the universe is better then another. We'll are good at different things and we all have faults. Nothing in the universe this one or anyone is really perfect. If things where what would be the point in living at all? No that is just a dream the dreamer is more real because they can do what they want and try to make the dream come true. In life if you don't try, struggle and fail on your way to complete the journey to what you seek then you've not really lived at all,"

"I call you Yami for the reason that it means darkness. It's when we emerge from the darkness and into the light and can cast our own light from our hearts, that we have finally found out who we really are and have become what we where always meant to be. I hope one day Yami you'll find the light in your heart and it will shine so bright it will bring hope back to this world that has none under Aknamkanon tyranny. Come let's go have a snack shall we?"

"Yes, I like something sweet to eat!"

"Of course my little angel of course,"

As his mind was once again swallowed up by darkness he saw a tiny light and followed it. As he passed through the light his eyes little by little opened and gazed into the most beautiful as well as kindhearted pools of smooth amethyst he ever has seen.

"Hi, welcome back to the land of the living," spoke the soothing voice that the eyes belonged too. His smile was warm and his touch was softer then his wings. Atem just stayed silent as the boy who looked like he could've been his little brother poured some steaming jade liquid into a cerulean cup.

"Here, drink it will make you feel better. Its ginseng," he offered the tea to the baffled teenager who didn't know what 'ginseng' was. But being brought up with proper etiquette he took the teacup and pressed it to his dry lips. His piecing amethyst eyes shot wide open as the taste overwhelmed him. He gulped the tea down in one swallow enthusiastically.

"MORE! Um more, please? That was the best thing I've ever tasted!" exclaimed the young teen like a kid who tasted chocolate for the first time. Yugi surprised but did give him more tea and the rice cakes which he also consumed enthusiastically.

"Uh, you might want to slow down a bit. You gonna make yourself sick, or you gonna chock" Yugi told the boy as he shoved three rice cakes in at once.

"I'm sorry for my less then perfect behavior. You may punish me accordingly as your customs demand. But I've never in my life tasted something so amazing," apologized Atem to the young boy.

"Why would I punish you for enjoying food? That'd be very silly. I'm the one being rude. My name is Yugi, Yugi Moto. I did my best to protect you've from the Doom Gang but I guess I came up short," he said with a laugh.

"I thank your for trying to protect me. It is very much appreciated. If you don't mind me asking, Yugi, but where am I?" asked the boy.

"You're at the Green Turtle Game Shop in Domino City. I live here with my Grandpa because my parents are overseas in America on long term business for my dad corporation. I take it your not from around here are you?" Yugi said as he picked up the dirty dishes and went to the kitchen.

"No, I'm not from around here. My home is very far away. You in all likelihood never even heard of it,"

"So if you don't mind me asking you, what's your name, how old are you and why you in Domino?" asked Yugi as he began to sponge down the dinner tableware. Atem curious of the peculiar thing, Yugi was doing walk slowly over. All of the serving dishes back home, magical cleaned themselves spotless after the tasteless cooking had been consumed. He never had seen anyone wash their dishes before.

"What are you doing?" he asked with genuine confusion to Yugi. Yugi turned and could tell immediately knew the stranger never had seen anyone do something as mundane as wash dishes.

"I'm cleaning the dishes. That's my job. Grandpa cooks and I clean. Haven't you ever done chores before?"

"No, I've never done much of anything before too be honest, Yugi. My father has my whole life planned out for me from what I wear to how many times I chew before swallowing the worst food ever," he confessed as he sat down at the table and gazed aimlessly at the floor.

Yugi dried his hands and took the seat opposed to the boy. He reached out his hand and took his right into his and squeezed it tightly. Atem looked up at Yugi and for a moment his heart in his chest seemed to speed up from the boy touch.

"Look I want to help you. But you've got too trust me and do that you've got to tell me something. I'm not asking you to tell me the whole story but it would be helpful if I at the least knew your name and why you're in Doom Alleyway,"

"My name is…Yami. The reason I was in that alley is…" gritting his teeth he took a deep breath and told Yugi the truth or as much as he could, "I'm trying to escape from being forced to tie the knot with a beautiful airhead on my 18th birthday in three months. My culture customs demands I marry on my 18th birthday the person chosen for me before I was even conceived! I'm to be forever bonded to an airhead who thinks I'm her new manicurist and I can't get a divorce for in our culture the only way out of marriage is dead and let's just say that not very likely,"

"An arrange marriage? But that is so old fashion!" Yugi exclaimed as he brought Yami some cocoa to drink. Yami took the drink and inhaled it deeply to drown out his sorrow.

"We've never even met, to be honest. She wasn't even aware that there was such a thing as male sex before. Another stupid rule. My father says marriage isn't about love or companionship. All good marriage needs are beauty and fine breeding. Serafina is beautiful like a rose but her head is empty as the pot it goes in. If my mom was still alive she might be able to do something. But she um died suddenly when I was four. I barely remember anything about,"

"Your dad doesn't sound like a very nice guy if he making his own son go through with this ridicule nonsense. Marriage is about love, not anything as trivial as beauty or breeding. Your not livestock being breed for the slaughterhouse you're thinking and breathing human being. Who has the right too chose what he wants in his own life," told him in a very strong tone?

"Yugi I really admire your courage and kindness. I've never known;\

 

any of that even existed. But my father is much more powerful then you think. You don't tell him anything he demands and he always gets what he wants," Yami told Yugi sadly. He got up and started to head to the door when Yugi stopped him by grabbing his hand.

"Wait where are you going, Yami?"

"Nowhere, I guess. I guess I was thinking I just keep running. I left home very quickly without really thinking. It was very spurred of the moment. I didn't even take anything other then my Puzzle. My mom Samira gave it to me the day I was born. I've by no means ever have removed it,"

"Stay here. Please, I want to be your friend. I can help you if you let me Yami. Look if you really have got no place to go wouldn't at least be nice to have a roof over your head and food in your belly then starving under a bridge?"

Yami as Atem now was calling himself looked upon the boy's face. He never had been around anyone like this little angel. He really cared about him and his problem and he had braved impossible odds trying to help him even at the cost of his own life. He was beginning once again too feels new emotions bubble up within his soul things he never experienced before.

"Yugi Moto I don't know who you are but I do know I can trust you. But what about your grandpa? I mean is he really gonna let you take some strange kid from the street stay in his home?"

"Let me handle it. Why don't you put the dishes away and I'll go talk it over with him ok?"

"Alright, Yugi and thank you for everything. You really don't know how much this means to me," Yami told him. Smiling Yugi went down to the game shop and talk to his grandfather. Solomon was a little reluctant at first to the idea of taking in the young teenage boy

"Yugi you really don't know anything about this boy Yami. Even if he is being forced to marry, he ought to work it out with his father, not run away from the problem. Avoiding something or pretending it does not exist has never solved anything," he said as he put some new Duel Monster cards into the glass display case.

"Grandpa I think that only half the problem. I think Yami is also running away because… well, he didn't come out and say it but I think his dad hits him a lot,"

Solomon looked at his grandson seriously and asked him straight up. "Yugi you really thing Yami is being abused?"

"Grandpa I think he suffered numerous forms of maltreatment. It seems to me he been trapped for a long time even before this arrange marriage. I think it just took the marriage to get him too try and escape it all,"

"We should call the police. I'll do it right now getting the phone but Yugi stopped him, "Grandpa I've just gained his trust let me see if I can get him to give me some more it and then once we've got the whole story we'll call the police. But for now, let him stay here where he does feel safe. Please, I'm the only one he trusts at this moment and we're gonna need him to keep trusting me if we're too help him," Yugi pleaded with his grandfather who sighed putting the receiver back on the hook.

"Ok he can stay in the spare bedroom in exchange he helps around the shop and you promise when he tells the whole truth or things get out of hand too call the police agreed, Yugi?"

"I promise Grandpa. Thank You,"

"So this is your room I know it's not really fancy and it's pretty small but it all we've got and…"

"Yugi it's wonderful, thank you again," Yami said as the two new friends set up the tiny bedroom for him. Yugi went to the closet and pulled out a set of spare pajamas. "Here you can sleep in these. The bathroom is on the left and breakfast is at 7:00 and I've got school at 8: 25. Grandpa gonna work it out tonight with the school board so you can come with me to school. See you in the morning Yami. Good night and sweet dreams,"

"Good night little one," Yami whispered as closed the curtains tightly as well as the door before undressing unaware that a few of his feathers had fallen out. He slipped under the light green covers and for the first time in a very long time, fallen peaceful to sleep and had a beautiful dream awaiting him. While he smiled happily as the dream play out in his mind the Heart was singing happily as the heir dreamed but the King was however just said very coldly.

"We've got a very serious problem, my brother, a very serious problem indeed, that must be eliminated immediately," as he tried to suffocate the Heart growing song out it.


	4. It's A New Day

It's a New Day

The heavens had never been painted with such brilliant as well as spectacle shades and hues of the most majestic colors you could ever hope to imagine. The celestial winds felt as soothing as a mother's touch on her newborn skin. A magnificent snow-white bird soared effortlessly leaving a glittering rainbow across the skies as it sang in a dreamy voice.

He was happily watching all this laughing without a care on a cloud. Cradle beneath his wings leaning his head against his chest was little Yugi. His heart inside his chest fluttered like a butterfly first emerging from its cocoon from the boy sweet touch. He felt at peace that nothing could ruin this sweet and perfect moment.

Out of the blue, the dreamy landscape was drastically altered as the skies became as black as tar and blood poured with white lighting flashing dangerously all around them. He tried to pull Yugi closer too him but the boy then slipped all the way through his fingers as if he were a ghost plummeting too raging vortex underneath.

"YUGI!" He went to spread his wings to save him and was shocked to see only blood-spattered stumps. "NO!" he cried as Yugi screamed a voiceless scream as the swirling torrent of bleeding darkness swallowed him whole and exploded like a red giant. The whole world them became a devastated inhospitable environment as life was stolen from it in a single second. A malicious chortle was heard echoing vociferously in the deathly silence of the destroyed dream as the young prince body became so besieged by the raging feelings he explodes into smithereens.

"YUGI, NO! AHH!" screamed Yami as he woke with a cold sweat. His heart was racing fast and his breathing was intense. He never experienced anything like this before. Never had he had such a dream that it made his body act in response like this? If he wasn't so bewildered by all the things happening to him, he is, in reality, be in awe, by the fact, his body was having such unusual sensations. They were so different from the customary deadened in addition to purposelessness he had become accustomed to having.

"Yami? You ok? What's the matter? You're screaming like someone was killing you. Here have some water," Yugi said as he gave him a glass of water. Yami swallowed it all as fast as lightning. Then he placed his trembling white hands on Yugi face and just cradled his face.

"Are you ok, little one? You've not been harmed?" he asked in such a way Yugi thought he was going to have a heart attack. Kneeling beside Yami he took his hands into his and placed them over his heart. "I'm all right, my friend. You're having a nightmare is all. It's over now just settle down and take a deep breath ok?"

"It felt so real. Like someone was trying to rip me apart from the inside. The pain was so excruciating I felt like I was going to explode. I couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't," Yami told him shamefully with his head hung low.

"Yami we'll have bad dreams. But what's important too remember we're the ones in control of the dream. Dreams can't hurt you in less you let them,"

"Mahad once told me dreams are sustained by one's memories of their waking life. The first part of my dream was happy then it was shattered like a stain glass window. I wish I paid more attention to my lessons. I would've have been able to determine what this dream meant," he replied bitterly

"One who is "Mahad" and two dreams don't always mean something, Yami. Sometimes a dream is just that a dream. Nothing more and nothing less,"

"Mahad is one of my father's …employees. He the only one I could really have a discussion with next to my older cousin Seto. On the other hand, neither could be of assistance to me with my predicament. They were as unable to help me as I am to help myself, to alter my cursed fate," he sighed miserably then got a weird look on his face.

"Yugi I'm feeling a very weird feeling involving my legs. It's very soggy and smells ghastly. What's going on?"

"Oh boy. Yami, I think you wet your bed. Come on get up let's see," he said as he helped the young teen up and indeed the young prince had soiled himself and the bed as a result of his nightmare.

"Oh, this is so humiliating! Never in my life have I'd this happen to me. I'd be ruthlessly punished for embarrassing myself in addition to Father in such a sickening manner. How could I've leaked such a foul-smelling liquid? I've never had this happen before," he said as he went to the closet door and prepared to shut his hand in it.

Yugi ran too him and stopped him in the nick of time from breaking his hand. "Yami it's no big deal if you went to your bed. Everyone does it at least once in their lives. Many children do it and Joey wet his bed till he was 14! Don't let him know I told you that. I'm really not that surprised. I mean you drank two pots of tea and three cups of cocoa and with your nightmare, you just didn't feel yourself needing to go. Look go to the bathroom and clean yourself up and I clean up your bed ok? Look I'll meet you in the kitchen in 15 minutes and we'll have some warm milk it put us both back too sleep ok?"

"Ok, Yugi we'll do as you command. I'm really delighted you're ok," he said as he went into the bathroom and the sound of hot water was almost immediately heard. Yugi surpassed his concern as he ripped the sheets off the bed and went to the laundry room.

After Yami had cleaned himself up Yugi tried to get him to go back to sleep seeing how it was 2:00 am. However, Yami refused to go to sleep in less he was absolutely in no doubt Yugi was ok. Yugi ended up getting a moth-eaten sleeping bag out of the closet and Yami slept the rest of the night next to Yugi's bed, in the company of a teddy bear Yugi had also retrieved from the closet.

Yugi was up in the early hours of first light. Grandpa was busy making a very large breakfast and looked like he was the only one who slept decently last night. "Morning, Yugi. How did our new house guest sleep last night?" he asked at the same time as he added a number of eggs into the frying pan.

"Grandpa, only you could sleep through a scream that sounded like WWIII was about to go into motion. Yami was sleeping very peaceful then something really bad happened in his dreams. He woke up screaming like someone was driving a burning hot knife all the way to his soul. He wanted to harm himself because he wet the bed. I couldn't get him to go back to sleep alone he ended up sleeping right next to my bed. He just wouldn't go to sleep in less he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was ok," Yugi relayed to his grandfather as he set the table.

"Yugi, maybe we should call someone. If Yami has been through some type of abuse you and I both know the abuser won't stop till he found him. You can't protect him by hiding him,"

"Grandpa I know you speak the truth. But you promised me you let me try and help him before we took action. Please let me at least try first," he begged him as he finished setting the table.

"Ok. But I want both of you to come straight home after school today. You and Yami both come right back to the game shop for a week safe and sound then while see about let you both go about a bit alright?"

"Ok, Grandpa."

"Yugi? Mr. Moto?" called a somewhat frightened voice from the hall.

"In here Yami. We're just about to have breakfast. If you like the rice cakes from last night you're going to find this irresistible," Yugi told the young prince as he came little by little into the kitchen.

Yami sat down at the old elliptical wooden table. He gazed curiously at the food before him. It was very vibrantly colored and smelled breathtaking and in fact, looked worth swallowing. Turning to face Yugi he asked, "What is all this?"

"Let's see we have freshly squeezed orange juice, French toast, eggs, sausages, and Grandpa's trademark chocolate chip, blueberry pancakes sprinkled with a hint of cinnamon and glazed in honey. Enjoy it!" he said as he began to happily eat the mouth watering delectable before him. Yami in next to no time joined the two short men and was contentedly munching away. His taste buds became lost in an astonishing new seventh heaven of overwhelming sensations.

It seemed all too soon the wonderful paradise had to be stolen from him by a necessary evil known too human children as "School". Yami started to follow Yugi out the door but stopped when he saw the three new faces. Since he been out cold last night he hadn't properly met them. For some unidentified explanation, he felt his legs become very weak and he was almost unable to stand.

"Come on, Yami. Its ok these are my friends. They won't hurt you. Come on," Yugi coxed Yami as if he where a small pup afraid to leave his mom. He slowly walked over to them despite he thought he was going to fall flat on his face at any moment on his Jell-O like legs.

"Hey guys, this Yami. He's going to be staying with me and Grandpa for a while. Yami these are my best friends. Joey Wheeler," "Hey how you doing?" asked the fair-haired teenager. "Tristan Taylor," "What's up dude? How you feeling after going toe to toe with those jerks?" asked the tall russet-haired schoolboy. "Last but surely not least Tea Grander" "It's a pleasure to meet you Yami," Tea said respectfully to the boy as she reached out to shake his hand. However, he looked confused by the gesture. He stared at her hand not understanding what to do next.

"Um, we better get going guys. Come on!" Yugi interjects quickly as they started walking to their high school. They where'll be walking at a very brisk pace all except for Yami. He was walking much slower and taking in every detail of the world around him. Every sight, sound, and smell was as if he had just been born fresh from his mother woman and was seeing the world through the eyes of a child for the first time. It was so breath stealing all the wonderful things he was encountering.

From the elderly couple walking their little dogs, a morning jogger in a bright pink outfit, a young mother pushing a stroller with her little baby cooing happily inside, all the way to a bunch of preschoolers being helped across the street by a kindly redhead lady in a bright orange vest holding a strangely shaped sign. He could perceive the sound the charming songs of the birds in the ash trees lining the sidewalks, flamboyantly bedecked with dazzling chalk drawings. One of the tiny squirrels was trying to pick a chalk drawing of an acorn which he actually found himself astonishingly chuckling at. The smell of the bright emerald grass, as well as stunning flora, sent his nostrils for a trip past the moon from the invigorating scents.

Yami was so lost in this new world around him; he didn't realize he was standing in the middle of red light. He was just so enthralled by the buildings surrounding him, he didn't hear or see the crimson Mercedes coming at him at 45 mph!

Yugi who had been just talking with his friends realized that Yami wasn't with them anymore. He looked over his shoulder and was about to yell his name when he saw Yami about too become road kill.

"YAMI! LOOK OUT!" he yelled loudly to his new friend who was staring at the gargoyles on the nearby gothic clock tower.

"Yugi? Huh? Ahh!" he screamed as he became frozen like a deer caught in the path of semi headlights. He knew he is ok if the rampaging beast struck him down, but it would blow his cover, nevertheless, he was feeling an out of the ordinary feeling going all the way through his body as the mad beast continued to stamped closer too him. He closed his piecing amethyst eyes tightly waiting for the inevitable beast ferocity. But it didn't come. Instead, he felt someone tackle him and then the pair rolled till they hit the metal guardrail.

"Hey! Tell your stupid friend not too daydream in the middle of the road, punk! I'm not about to let my sweet new ride be ruined by some spacey idiot!" yelled the blonde young man from his car with the wind blowing his American flag bandana in wildly in front of dark sunglasses that concealed his angry blue eyes.

Joey grunted furiously for the driver vulgar response. "Hey, pal! You're the one who nearly caused a hit and run driving like a manic in a school zone! The posted speed limits 20 mph pal! You could've had at least the decency to see if the guy is alright, not worry about your stupid sports car!"

The man just snorted and speeded away as fast as he could. The last thing they saw his license plate that said "Bandit K" in big bold azure letters. "Man what an ass! Man, I hate guys like him people who think they're better then everyone because the got a lot of dough! You ok Yami?" Joey asked as he helped him up and dusted him off.

"Yami! Joey! You guys ok?!" yelled Yugi urgently as he along with the rest of the group ran to their sides. Yugi ran right too Yami who was still in shock and white as a ghost. "Yami? Yami? You ok?"

"Yugi? What was that beast and who was that vile man inside it?" Yami asked at last as he looked at the gang who all looked at him with a strange look in their eyes.

"That dude was a Mercedes with an asshole driving it. You're telling us you never seen a car before?" asked Tristan with an eyebrow cocked in astonishment.

"No, I've never seen anything like that. They don't have them in my home. Um, let's forget it, please! Thank you, Joey, for saving me from that thing," he told him as he started to run away.

"Wow! That boy is one strange dude! I mean where on Earth can someone live and not know about cars?" asked a stumped Joey as they ran to catch up to the young teen.

"I don't know Joey. But I think it is best if we just don't press him to talk about his past too quickly. We need to gain his trust first and then we'll let him in his own time talk about his past," Yugi told his friend as they struggled to catch Yami who ran fast as the wind.

Yami had reached the school but was shocked to see both males and females mixed together and actually having fun together. While he did admit they all looked the same in their uniforms he could still distinguish the vast diversity in the midst of the herds of youths. This was unquestionably different then what he had grown up with.

"Hey Yami, could you slow down a bit, please? Some us our not as in shape as you're in," panted Joey and Tristan with their faces red as beets and covered in sweat. They looked about ready to drop dead form just running three blocks.

"Oh please, it's no wonder you both have Ds in P.E. with how bad a shape you're in. I don't know it, but it would most likely help if you two weren't such couch potatoes all the time and actually exercise more then just flipping channels on the television," Tea said sarcastically as she arrived positively glowing. She flipped her short brown her which glisten in the morning sweet sunrays of life as she gently touched Yami shoulder which caused him to jump in surprise.

"Tea?" he asked startled by her touching him.

"Hey look you ok Yami? I mean none of us really know anything about you but is something on your mind? You seemed to keep spacing out and it's not very polite and it almost got you killed ten seconds ago,"

"No Tea nothing on my mind," he fibbed to her while looking away, then he looked back and replied with full honest to the whole gang, "I'm just taking in the sights of the city is all. There'll so new and different from where I'm from. Even this Academy of yours is different," he explained.

'How is our high school different from schools where you're from, Yami?" asked Yugi courteously with a heartening smile on his sweet face.

"Well in my culture we got very strict laws about gender issues. Boys and girls do not under any circumstance interact or even made conscious that there is another gender till between the ages of 16 and 18. Girls are strictly brought up with the females and the same with the males. Depending on the background of a person will determine when they can meet the other sex. This goes alongside with our marriage laws. All marriages in my culture are arranged. Some of the matches are done by the parents; others are done by my father employees. In addition girls as well as boys are also specified firm guidelines as what they can and can't do. Father says it's too maintained order over chaos and the only thing marriage needs are beauty and good breeding," Yami confessed sadly with his head hung low.

That's has got to be the most sexist immature in addition to ridicules piece of bull-shit I've heard in my life! We're not in the middle ages anymore! This is the year 2007 and women in the most country can kick ass and do a hell of a lot more then just stand there looking pretty and be doormats to the men! Does your dad expect each and every woman on Earth to be like the "Stepford Wives?" Tea furiously exclaimed at their new friend statement.

Yami gave her a very strange look not getting the pop culture reference the young girl had just made. He, however, did like that she was against the ideas and was very flamboyantly showing it. It was a nice change like the food that had been so bland to see someone with a personality. As they day wearied on he saw each and every the person was very different from the other.

He found Joey to be incredibly corky along with rather amusing. Like when they were leaving study hall and he by accident got his left foot stuck in the janitor mop bucket and slide all the way into the vending machine outside the teacher lounge. Despite the fact that it was hilarious he was concerned his fleshy new friend was hurt. However, he is next to no time joined everyone in a fit of laughter as free goodies poured out.

Tristan himself was wonderful to see him act as well. Yami found him to be most interesting when he was trying to have a discussion with two extremely attractive females at lunchtime. But he must have offended them in some manner because they dumped their wonderful food on him.

Tea was the most outrageous female Yami had ever met. She had brains because in Math class when the teacher called her and another student up too do a particularly difficult formula for him, she got it hers right and faster too then the other. She also wasn't' afraid to speak her mind and take action if treat like a "damsel". He found this to be most unusual from what he was brought up with.

However, what Yami loved best was just being with Yugi. Despite that he had to be the shortest kid in school and obviously been picked on a great deal he was still a very optimistic pure heart soul. He gave his lunch away to a kid whose lunch was stolen from him by some bullies and helped a freshman find her class after getting her locker open and getting her books.

During a time known as 'free period' which was the last period of the day before the kids were allowed to leave, he found out something that did shock him. Many of the kids used this time too take out the thin colored squared paper out and seemed to engage in some kind of ritual. From what he could tell Yugi was very good at whatever this strange ritual was because it seemed he was victorious every time it was played out. He was able to catch word like "Magic, Trap, Monsters, and Life Points" after watching this puzzling conundrum for a quarter of an hour he got up from the window sill which he been off sitting at and went to see what Yugi was doing.

Yugi was sitting at a desk facing a young white-haired youth that he been introduced as Bakura. They were in the middle of some kind of battle with these color full squares paper. His eyes went wide when he saw what was printed on the squares where the Divine Beast of Xanadu! How did the people of this strange world know of these creatures? Had his father great omnipotent powers and the Heart of Xanadu one way or another stop worked? Was Xanadu being prepared to be laid siege too by the humans? Was this some kinda training?

"With the Horn of Heaven blasting its celestial tune your Man-Eater Bug is no more, Bakura and with that, your Life Points drops too zero ending the duel. Good game! You almost had me with that Change of Heart card two moves ago," Yugi told his friend happily as they shook hands.

"Oh, Yugi don't be so modest. You've never lost a Duel ever. You're not known as The King of Games for nothing my friend. Still, I hope one day there is a duelist up too your caliber who can school you in dueling and that I'll be able to see it!" laughed Bakura.

"Yugi,"

"Oh hi, Yami would you like to play some Duel Monster with me? It the best game ever invented!"

"Game?"

"Yeah, a game you know something you do for fun? To kick back and enjoy yourself? You know shooting the breeze with your friends?" Joey asked but could clearly see that Yami didn't know what the word game meant.

"Your new friend must be some loser, Wheeler if he doesn't know what Duel Monster is. Everyone on the planet knows this game and the only ones who either don't have a mind at all like you or must have grown up in a cave in the middle of nowhere," snickered a cold unemotional voice from the doorway. Everyone looked up and Yami looked in shock.

"Seto? What are you doing here?" he asked apprehensively.

"Hey, you and the rest of the dweebs call me Kaiba got it? No one but Mokuba has the right to address me by my first name got that you moron?"

"Hey, Kaibutt don't be so hard on him! He's new in town and doesn't know anyone!" Joey snapped at Yami cousin twin.

"Shut up you dog. You're just a joke Wheeler always has and always will be," Kaiba scoffed at Joey.

Yami felt that raging fire like feeling inside him again. Without thinking he yelled loudly to the departing young man, "Seto Kaiba! I challenge you to a Duel!"

Everyone stared at Yami as if he was crazy. Like he willing walked up to a firing squad and told them to shoot him. Kaiba was one of the best Duelists in the world, hell his company made billions ever five seconds from sales of the dueling equipment he made.

Laughing like this was the most absurd challenge in the world only too have Yami continue too stare unmoved made him realize the teenager was serious. "You want to duel me? You've got to have a death wish kid. But if you really want to be humiliated beyond belief fine with me I could use the practice. So where is your deck kid?"

"I've never actually played this game before, never even heard of till I got here. Yugi if you be as kind as too let me have access to your deck. I will show this ignominious scoundrel the ways of true honor and respect!"

"Oh, this is rich. I think I'm going rip my spleen in two from laughing so hard. If you started preaching Yugi's stupid mantra of the "Heart of the Cards," I'm going to lose both my spleen and appendix from laughing so hard! You dweebs meet me on the roof in five minutes so we can really duel and the whole school will see you be broken in two.

"Yami you just dove head first into red water!" exclaimed Joey to his new friend.

"Yeah, that's Seto Kaiba. He the best of the best! His whole life is one duel to the next! No one has seemed to beat him and his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons he got!" Tristan exclaimed, however, Yami won't be put off.

Fast as a wildfire, the whole school gathered to see this strange newcomer duel Seto Kaiba. While Yugi and his friends where they too support Yami another friend of theirs Duke Devlin got a very reluctant Bakura to help him handle the betting ring for the duel.

Yugi had briefed Yami as quickly as he could about the game and told him all about the Heart of the Cards. The stage was set for a duel of an epic portion. Kaiba threw Yami a bright red disk and slipped a matching one on his wrist.

"Ready to face your doom kid?" he asked insanity loomed within his cold blue eyes ready to slaughter disillusion adolescent before.

"More then ready let's duel!"

"Fine me first. I hope you can handle this!" as he sent the disk flying with an angry outburst of color as his monster emerged from the magic of this device. The students cowered in fear because of the lifelikeness of this hologram was way too real for them. It was like it was really really real! But Yami was unfazed. He knew that while Battle Ox looked real it wasn't because no matter how real Kaiba tried to make it Yami had actually met the real thing countless times in Xanadu and this was very pitiful in comparison to him.

The duel was soon underway and everyone was stunned by how well Yami was doing. It seemed impossible for someone who never heard or played the game before was actually causing Kaibutt to squirm in those rich shoes of his. What was also amazing Yami kept talking to the holograms as if he really knew them! Like they were real people he knew! They didn't know if he cracked or was trying to psych Kaibutt out. He didn't even twitch so much as an eyelash when Kaiba bust out his BEUD.

"Oh like she's really supposed to scare me? Come on I mean sure she got three heads big deal. I've seen much scarier things then that, Kaiba," he taunted him. Yami never felt like this before. He didn't know what it was but he was unafraid even with that three-headed super powered up a dragon in front of him. He felt like Yugi was inside him with his caring heart guiding him with each turn of the card. He felt no he knew that the cards wouldn't fail him.

"Ha! Talk all you want! But you got nothing on your side of the fields and I've got more life points then you! One blast from my BEUD and you and that smart mouth of your's are ancient histories! Next turn you're done!" he grunted angrily.

"He's right. I've got nothing at all. All I've got in my hand are four pieces of Exoida. Shimon has a bond with this creature. He says he has great power but it has to be balanced out in five pieces. What are the chances I'll draw the final piece? I'll fail like I failed all my life!" he thought as he tried to reach for the deck but it seemed to sense his doubt and fear and pulled away. "No! I can't fail! But I can't do this by myself I'm not strong enough"

"Let us help you, Yami. Never be scared to ask for help. I promise I'll always be here for you," said a voice as a hand placed itself over his.

"Huh, Yugi? How are you all in my mind?" he asked confused.

"Friends are always there with you no matter what Yami. Believe in yourself and your heart. You can do this. We're all with you," as multiple hands now where on his hand each glowing with a strange symbol. Feeling his confident being renewed he smiled and draw the card.

"You're good Kaiba; nevertheless this Duel is going to go to me! I summon Exoida the Forbidden One!" all jaws dropped to the ground as the legendary beast was summoned to the felid. Yugi smiled wide at Yami for accomplishing gaining self -confidence as well as faith in himself from the duel.

Smiling broadly the prince then commanded to his monster, "My dear friend Exoida cast away your chains of misery and let loose your power in the joy of an honorable battle. Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon I'm sorry to have to annihilate you in such a manner. But I must as do as the rules articulate. Exoida OBLITERATE!"

Kaiba buckled too his knees from the shock of his humiliating defeat. He just muttered over and over again that it wasn't possible. Everyone lifted Yami high in the air cheering loudly but he slipped off and walked over too Kaiba extending his hand too him.

"You did your best. It was an honorable defeated. Don't wallow in self-pity. Just try too doing better next time,"

"Get out of my face, you moron!" he said as he shoved the stunned prince too the ground. He snatched up his tech and left in a huff.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked Yugi as they walked back to the game shop.

'No all you did was bruised his pride and deflated his ego a bit. Don't worry Kaiba always bounce back. But he won't get any better if he doesn't let anyone in and he continues to hide amongst his machine. Letting one's heart become stone and denying your own humanity isn't very good Yami. Once the damage been done its' almost impossible to repair in less that person willing to do for themselves. Come on we got to get home and help Grandpa in the shop. I can help you build your own deck if you like,"

"That would be …nice. I like that. Yugi to be perfectly honest this has been one of the best days of my life ever. Duel Monster is a lot of fun and playing it I don't know it did something for me. Something good,"

"I glad to hear that Yami. Still, how it's you're so good at something you had no idea of before two hours ago?"

"I don't know I guess you could say it felt a lot like home. Like the people, I know from home I mean," as the two young boys reach the game shop. As they closed the door behind them a strange musical breeze was heard as it came and went carrying away a few more feathers.

The Heart of Xanadu was singing its song louder now and glowing more brightly. It seemed to be smiling happily despite the fact the one who was wearing it was scowling as he looked upon his son empty room with a murderous look in his steely eyes.


	5. Trouble in Paradise

Trouble in Paradise

I don't own YGO

Aknamkanon stared with his icy steely amethyst pools of seeing water glass, each full of deadly venom, upon the vacant chamber of his son's. The bedchamber was the size of a small isle made up of the only most excellent resources found within this universe, complete with a large veranda in front of the sunset. Above the merciless false sovereign, the star sapphire rose window pane allow the last remaining sparkles of the sun sweet dying rays of light dance in the empty room.

Aknamkanon was just staring at the room with such contempt his wings were building up a large amount of magic from his unvoiced fury. He didn't like it when things didn't go right down to minutest of details his way. He wouldn't endure such insubordination as well such demonstrate personal treachery to his authority within his own home in his own city. Especially not from his own progeny! This was the ultimate sign of betrayal to him if his own son willing went to the forbidden world of those despicable and vile fleshy mortal fiends!

"Atem! As soon as I get my hands around your neck you're going to be pleading me to make you mortal! For the punishment you shall obtain for your childish actions will be something you'll never forget! Even an immortal won't ever be unsuccessful in putting out of their minds, the punishment you're going to have when I get your ass back home! While human's spawn merely gets grounded you shall have no leniency for your disreputable actions too me your father as well as your king! You hear me Atem?!" flying into an out of control rage. His upsurge of magic explode, shattering the enormous stain glass skylight sending razor-sharp chunks of glass the size of grapefruit in the downpour to the diamond floor.

The sound caused by this was enough to leave half the world unable to hear with the long echo it caused. The city was still trying to clean up the mess that the riots had caused all trembled with new fear at the sound of Aknamkanon primordial scream. The sound of this scream began to extend all the way through their bodies as fast as the cold-blood lighting of summer storm clouds.

Both Beasts and Beings alike wait a few moments in unearthly silence. Waiting to see what came next. Wanting to know if their end was coming or was there possibly an even worse fate in store? Those few anxious moments of not knowing and waiting for the unknown answer to the scream where the worst of the citizens of the paradise prison immortal lives.

Then all of the Sacred Guardians heard the wordless call summoning them magically to return without delay to their King. They couldn't ignore the call for if they did it felt like flaming carving knifes being driven over and over again all the way through them.

They all dropped what they were doing and flew as fast as their beautiful cursed wings would allow to the throne room. They all kneel respectfully to their king as he appeared in a dramatic display of black rose petals. This was a very bad omen. He only did that trick once before. The ill-fated day of when his beautiful wife Queen Samira was stolen from him by the humans of Earth. Something very bad had just occurred if he had elected to execute that particular trick.

"Why have you summoned us, oh admirable and compassionate King Aknamkanon of the great utopia world of Xanadu?" they all said in unison. No one dared look the king in the eye. Each individual feather on their wings trembled in fear of what he was about to say. They could perceive the sound of him tightening his grip on both the magical staff and the Heart. Nevertheless what astonished them all is they'd all heard a very weak melody coming from the Heart itself. All with the exception of Mana vaguely commit to their infinite memories hearing that melody as small children however none of them could place it or its significance.

"My faithful servants we've got a very serious predicament on lovely hands. It must be dealt with swiftly and without drawing too much attention from those damn Beasts! What I'm about to tell you must never under no circumstances ever leave this room understood? If you let even so much as a syllable of this out of your lips, you'll be turned mortal immediately and I'll have a lynching done on you!"

"Yes, sire we understand you perfectly. Please be so kind and tell us what the unfortunate news is? We've gotten the riots under control and things we'll be once again under the beautiful way of life in no time I assure you, my king," Seto told his uncle speaking on behalf of all his fellow guardians. He noticed out of the corner of his left eye his father Eye seemed to be sinisterly gleaming as if it already somehow knew what the news was.

"Yes, my King there is no need to turn all of the Divan Beasts of our noble and fair city into mortal because of a simple tantrum. Things just got a little hot under the collar sir we are all a little restless lately. Please forgive them and us for not seeing this coming. I should've been able to foresee this with my Necklace and I do ask for forgiveness for not seeing it in advance sir," Isis told him trying not to have the whole city be turned mortal and killed because of this stupid but valid way of getting change done in the government.

"Believe me my lovely Isis if this was about mere minor mutiny I wouldn't be this furious. But I will make it clear one of you will be suffering a very painful punishment for whoever is responsible for letting this problem arise in the first place!" Aknamkanon proclaimed sending supernatural shockwaves when his staff hit the ground.

After the fury of the shockwaves and black rose petals died away he calms down once more. He then told them what had happened during the hours of the insane riots. "During the time of these riots, a very serious and unforgivable crime was committed. While you idiots where being swallowed up in the pandemonium that those unappreciative damned Divan Beasts were doing. Pandemonium in addition to chaos that was tarnishing my attractive metropolis because of your compactness I might add! My son your future king escape the city!"

Everyone looked up in bewilderment. They knew Atem was distraught with having to get hitched to the dope Serafina in addition to had been to a great extent trying in vain, to break away from this forced destiny that had been placed upon him. Nevertheless was he really foolish enough to do what they think he had just done? Was the Prince of Xanadu really that desperate to escape a custom as old as time itself, that he'd break the biggest rule, made by his own father the king? Go to the world of humans and risk receiving the penalty of beginning made a mortal and eradicated? Was his immortally that insignificant he risks being found on the forbidden world then get married to the idiotic young woman chosen for him?

"Understand that the knowledge that my son isn't in his sovereignty any longer must not be made public. We already have enough to deal with these riots which no doubt indicted we can expect even more uprising with the approach of the Prince's Wedding. I do not for my eternal life understand what motivated my son to leave this perfect society. But I place the blame fully on his reluctance to grow up and become a man. If he feels he must act like a child rather then accept his duties as a royal member then the only way this can be dealt with is making him grow up and accept his responsibility by any means necessary!" Aknamkanon told them in a cold-blooded tone of voice.

"We'll deal with both of our problems swiftly and kill two birds with one stone. Dear nephew, I want you along with Isis, Kareem, and Shimon to handle the damn Beasts. Keep them in control or else they'll be dealt with severely for their unfaithfulness! Shada you and Shadi prepare the dungeon for all who may oppose and have the audacity to try and rebel for a second time got it? Mahad, you and your Apprentice formulate additional of those harnesses quickly!" ordered their king.

"Yes sire your bidding shall be done," they all said courteously. They were about to turn to go when a bolt of blue flames stopped them. Turning around at a snail's pace they gazed upon Aknadin's fist ablaze with the deadly ice fire. "I do believe none of you're dismissed quite yet. My dear brother has to deal with one more thing before we even are trying to track down my nephew. So brother please draws to a close this discussion will you?" he stated in a cold tone of voice with a sneer on his face.

"With pleasure, Aknadin. Prior to any of you servants go to attend the responsibilities I've just assigned to you. I like you all to answer one simple question first. Which one of you made the human oversight and allowed my juvenile progeny to run away from his duties? Which one of you was so fucking stupid to let the heir apparent escape?!" he cursed at the top of his voice threatening to create a black hole and suck them all up for their incompetence.

Mana became frozen as she turned white as a ghost. Her entire petite body went numb and she felt like she was drowning in a pool of thick tar as well as blood. She knew that her end was near and she never sees her dream of becoming an elite spellcaster through. Her teachers and her mom had been right she was just a stupid little girl! A flawed being and deserved to be made a mortal and perish a meaningless death. She was about too say it was her fault, however to her astonishment Mahad step forward and said,

"It's my fault, my king. If I wasn't in such a hurry to contain the mayhem outside the palace walls I would've stopped to consider if the Prince's balcony was opened or I'd realize he still had the prototype harness. I willing accept whatever punishment even the ultimate one for my most human error," he said is such a convincing tone you couldn't tell he was lying through his pearly white teeth!

"You Mahad? My most loyal servant made such a human blunder?" he asked in a mix of shock and unconvinced tone. His eyes became narrow chips as he burned their dreadful gaze upon the magnificent spellcaster. Aknadin used his Eye to see if the Magician was telling the truth and found to his surprise he spoke the truth. "He isn't telling a falsehood, brother," Aknadin said at last.

"Mahad if it where anyone else they are made mortal instantaneously and I would then kill them and bring them back to life so I could kill them a thousand different ways for such a huge mistake!" he bellowed, in the midst of his wings showing off a dramatic display of magical feats with his paroxysm.

Mahad remained silent his handsome face unfazed by his king ferocity. "On the other hand seeing how you showed a bit more integrity then anyone else as ever has shown me. I will only give you a word of warning," he said as he tossed his staff in the air and it began to spin in a magical energy vortex.

When it all died away the staff had transformed itself into a whip. It was made from the skins of all of the Divan Beings who had been killed in the genocide of the original Xanadu. Their wing feathers were now razor sharp thorns dotting this whip with all of the most deadly of poisons in the known universe staining them. Then Aknadin lit the whip with the hot icy blue flames. Mahad knew what this was coming for this had been done to him before a very long time ago. Without being told he disrobed himself but did respectfully for Mana and Isis sake leaving something around his ass. He then removed his Ring handing it over to Mana who didn't know what was coming.

Then he kneeled before Aknamkanon readying himself for his punishment for his error. There was a crack that sounded louder the thundering roar of an F-5 tornado. All of the Guardians watched in silent horror as Mahad was brutally whipped over and over again. Without his Ring, he couldn't hold back the scream of this insanity. Divan Beings maybe impervious to being physically harmed but it was the magic of their Immortal Items that shield their minds when it came to the dark shadow magic that was the source of their punishments.

After he had been struck 17 times till he was senseless, Aknamkanon brought the punishment to an end. The whip turned back into his staff and then descended his throne and rolled over Mahad. For a second he looked almost remorseful of what he just done but then thrust the staff into his groin and kicked him into the wall. "You're now dismissed. Please carry out your duties quickly," and then he left in those cursed black rose petals with his brother trailing him in a fury of blue flames.

"MASTER MAHAD!" Mana exclaimed as she flew quickly to his unconscious form. She held his body in her skinny arms tightly. She wished more then ever she could shed tears. Then she mentally slapped herself as well as began to curse herself out loud. "Why oh why did you do such a foolish thing, Master? Why did you lie for me? I should be dead for being such a stupid idiot! Why did you let yourself be so maimed for me a stupid little girl who can't even do a simple magic trick to save her stupid never-ending existence?"

"It's an ok child. You'd not burden yourself with blame for his error in judgment," Shimon told the young girl. "But judicious Shimon, I'm the one guilty of the transgression, not him. He told me to take our Prince to his room then unite with him in battle. I was the idiot who didn't check the balcony or for the harness! I should be dead because I'm a waste of immortal skin! If any person deserves' oblivion it is I! I'm not at all worthy of these attractive wings or their precious gifts that they bestowed to us. I should've clipped them myself long ago," she confessed too all them bitterly.

"Listen to me, sweet child of enchantment. What Mahado did was a very self-sacrificing act. He was protecting you from the King's wrath. He knew he slaughters you for something anyone could've done. He put him immortally on the line because he doesn't wish to witness you be maimed in addition to slaughter. He cares for you Mana. As we all do my dear friend," Isis told the child as she held her tightly in her arms.

She encased her amber wings over the young girl body in a soothing manner. At the same time, she began to softly hum to the young girl as if she was a mother trying to calm her child after a nightmare. However, her large navy eyes gazed upon Mahad with a very out of the ordinary look in them.

"Shimon I would like it if you took Karim with you to the archives. By the looks of it that was some rather serious exposure to the blackest of shadow magic in the realm. Without the aid of his Ring, it will take his body a lot longer then usual to exorcise the negative energy within him. We need some information on what kind of shadow magic was used if we are to be of assistance to him," Seto told his fellow guardians.

Though they couldn't be harmed physically some of the darker magic like this still wreak havoc on them within and it felt worse then hell. Devoid of the capability to shed tears or bleed they couldn't let go the pain that was spellbound within them so it was true suffering!

"It would help if we knew the name of this particular punishment, Seto. Otherwise looking up what is needed to get rid of the lingering shadow magic out of him will take longer," Shimon told him honestly.

"He brings up a valid point, Seto. It would help if we had an idea of what we're looking for exactly. The Infinite Archives aren't named that because they look first-class. They literally go on forever!" Karim told him.

"It's called Calicfer's Fire Whip. Look in the section for pryo magic from 3000 years ago," Isis told them quietly as she let her amber wings lightly sprinkle glitter onto Mana so she goes to sleep.

"Uh thanks, Isis. You two heard her. Do as she suggests and please do it quick. Shada? Could you and Shadi please help carry Mahad back too his Lair? Thanks," Seto politely requested. The pair nodded and carried the unconscious conjurer to his Lair.

He then turned his dark blue eyes at Isis who now held the would-be magician girl in her arms affectionately. She gently brushed back a loose strand of her light brown hair out of her attractive features. She almost resembled the Virgin Mary at that moment. Especially in view of the fact that she was currently standing in front of the Millennium Window Pane. It was a very large circular stain glass window that showed the Seven Sacred Immortal Items within a weird and wonderful circle stone.

"You've felt for him don't?" he remarked to the enthralling priestess quietly. She was so taken back she nearly dropped the 89 lbs child in her arms. "What would make you think that Sub-High Priest Seto?" she asked him as they chose to walk to Mana's chambers as a replacement for flying.

"A few moments ago you called Mahad "Mahado". Now I may be part of the Neo-Xanadu generation that was born in this Xanadu, not the original one that fell. But I do know that adding an O to a male name is a term of affection as adding an A is for a female. Now you may look forever and a day 20 years old and him 23 but you are both much older then that. So do you have feelings for him or not that is more then friendship?" he asked her kindly as the continued to ascend the seemingly never-ending stairs.

She glanced out the window out into the starry heavens in a dreamy fashion. Her gazed seemed to be looking out into the eternal ebony velvet blanket of the endless skies. Sighing she finally submits to his inquiry.

"Yes, I do possess 'feelings' for Mahad. However I can't pursue them because of the laws of the land and the fact I'm a widow as he is one too," she told him in a deadpan tone. She could see his confusion with her statement. So she began to make clear to him best she could of what went before this city was erected.

"As you said yourself, Seto, you're of the Neo-Xanadu. Meaning you were born in this city. But I'm from Union-Generation. I originate from the Xanadu universe. Like all other Divan Beings, I was prearranged to be connubial off too someone, before I was fully conceived in my own mother's womb."

"All marriages are based off ridiculous superstitions in addition to bogus gobbledygook like astrology and fortunetelling and very ill-conceived ways too figure out if someone is compatible!" shaking her head in disgust.

"I was arranged to marry a gentleman by the name of Oretail. We first meet when I was just barely 18. I had had only ascended three days before we actually meet. Ascending as you may recall is when you've reached the peak of your powers and that only happens at the exact moment you become 18 and leave childhood behind forever. It means your adult in the world's eyes,"

"I do know what ascending is dear Isis. I went through the process myself almost two years ago. When you reach your peak of power you can do just about anything. Like, choose what you're physical age and how you want to look, or even bend the rules of time and space. We go from being demi-gods to full-fledged gods overnight. Those of royal blood become omnipotent beings with such power that even we don't know the limited to what we can and can't do. Though you're granted great powers and ability, it's still not a lot of fun is it?" he mused.

"No, it's not Seto. We're all born with great power within us. As we grow to maturity we're little by allowing our bodies as well our minds adapt and control it. When the time of Ascension approaches we experience our moments of pain and loss of control as well as the occasional random outburst of magic as our bodies prepare themselves for full maturity. When the time comes when we fully ascended leaving behind childhood and became adults and are at the peak of our powers it's would be described from a human perspective of a bittersweet moment, both painful and pleasurable at the same time!"

"Yes, it isn't very easy to endure it. All that power and your body changing from the inside out and you have to do this all by yourself. As you said outside stress only makes the process harder to endure. I guess knowing you were soon meeting this Oretail was making it harder for you to get through this part of your life?"

As if it was easier to show him rather then tell him her Necklace began to glow and almost immediately both their minds were reliving her memories from her late childhood. They appeared as mere shadows in Isis own memory.

Looking before them was a young Isis just before she had ascended. Her outfit was different she wasn't dressed as Seto had known her. She was in a tight fitting off-white dress with her lovely raven hair showing. Her amber wings were neatly folded as she stood still as stone while two thin older looking women watched from a nearby set of chairs as a third plumb woman in black seemed to examine her from head to toe.

"Well?" asked one of the women from a chair. She was dressed in a ravishing gold tunic.

"Please be quiet, dear Meryt-Isis. You can't rush a matchmaker," snapped the plump woman in black.

"Gomenasai, Lady Akio. But we just want to be sure nothing goes wrong. My beloved Isis will be ascending come sundown of tomorrow. We are arranging to met her bridegroom three days later and I want to be sure she is perfect,"

"Yes, I left my son in his father care long ago. My husband and I both agreed on what kind of upbringing Oretail was too had. I want to know that the lady chosen for him understands fully of her duties before she meets him and joins my family," spoke the other lady who was dressed in a very gaudy gown.

"Oh, of course, Isis is a very obedient young woman, Nasya. She's been trained to be a Priestess in the King place. She will do whatever you commanded her to do," Meryt-Isis said as they began to go into a very long winded talk about things to be expecting from this upcoming marriage.

It was like they'd long forgotten Isis was present in the room as she was finished being examined for her impending marriage to this man. "You may leave now girl. I'll give your mother your report," Lady Akio ordered the girl like she was just some dumb servant. Isis left pausing only long enough to hear more quarreling on the subject of her future. Her stomach felt sick not just because of ascending was tomorrow but this marriage.

Seto watched as Isis was locked in her room the following night and began to scream bloody murder as the process was happening. On the other hand, of course, they couldn't see it. Ascending was a very private matter not meant to be shared.

When she repapered once more Isis now looked like she did now. She went with her mom to meet Oretail. The trip took three days as they had to cross half of Xanadu to reach the spot where males lived. They arrived at a very large building that looked like a Victorian-era mansion. She was told to wait outside without making a sound. So she just stood there saying and doing nothing as they went to fetch him.

She then noticed an attractive young male a little way down the street. She fluttered quietly too get a closer look. He was very cute. Long brown hair flowing in a non- existent breeze and dark eyes on the most attractive face she ever has seen. She watched from her hiding spot in a flower bush as he practices doing magic.

The first trick he did was he made two boxes apparel before him. Turning he picked up a perfect pebble and turned into a life-size figurine of some female she didn't know. He scowled at the figurine and placed it in one box then he stepped inside the other. She was shocked when magic swords then slewed them both. But he emerged unharmed. He did a few more tricks. He seemed ready to do his grand finale when she slipped and fell forward.

"Uh?" he said as he turned and saw her. She was the most beautiful thing he ever saw. She looked at him extraordinarily as he helped her up off the ground. It was obvious both were freshly ascended and had been only recently told of another gender.

"Uh hello, good sir. I'm most remorseful for disturbing you at your work. I humbly ask for your forgiveness but if you must punish me to go ahead. But please let me say that was the most wonderful thing I've ever witnessed in all 18 years of my life," she told him with her head held low the whole time.

"Why are you acting like that?"

"Huh?"

"I don't mind it if you watch. I feel honored that you enjoy it. I also appreciated that you gave me such a welling meaning complement to my work. No one ever has praised me like that before,"

"But you are so wonderful at what you do. I've never seen a real magician before but you're amazing."

"Thanks, um what do you do if you don't feel offended for me asking?"

"You actually want to know what I do or want in life?"

"Yes,"

"I'm training hard to become a priestess one day in the future King's Sacred Court. I hope to be selected when the time comes. This has been my one and only desire in my immortal life. I hope with my new powers I will be able to fulfill this dream. What about you?"

"I'm training hard too becomes the new head magician in the Sacred Court one day. I hope that my new powers will aid me as well. Have you recently ascended? I'd ascended a fortnight ago myself."

"Three days ago. That is why I'm here in the young males' section in reality. My um chosen suitor lives in close proximity. I'm to meet him for the first time then we are too draw to a close discussing the details of what is to become of me,"

"I recently met my bride to be as well. Her name is Afra, she is the current head magician Calicfer the Fire Mage niece. She is an obnoxious child. She is very prone too childish tantrums in addition to screams and yells a great deal, not at all ladylike," the long-haired youth told her.

"Do you know the young man who lives in that mansion? His name is Oretail. But aside from that, I don't know anything else about him," she confessed to him.

Before he could speak two different voice where heard. One male one female but both were infuriated. "Isis! Isis why are you talking to this man? That is not proper behavior for a young woman in your position! The only male you should talk to first is your future husband. How dare you show me such dishonor as well as lack of respect by contorting about in such a manner!" her mother admonished her along with slapped her hard across the face for it.

"Hey! We're just talking milady! You can't punish someone for just have a conversation!" he yelled at her before someone yelled at him.

"You are as much at fault yourself Mahad! How dare you sneak off from having brunch with your future wife to go do magic tricks! Come on boy Afra is throwing a fit because your not there! Now come on Mahad!" yelled a man who looked like an older version of Mahad. Isis assumed it was his father.

"As you can see our society was already beginning to fall further into the madness that would eventually wipe all but a handful of us out. This corruption was like an epidemic spreading like wildfire to all the four corners of our universe. It was small things at first but with each day more madness and chaos began to rise up and swallow us up," Isis told Seto as they both watch as her words became the very reality as the beautiful world was slowly falling apart by the seams.

"What was your husband like? When did you and Mahad meet again?" Seto asked her as a massive explosion happened before them as a whole city became a ghost town in a mere second.

"Because of the impending chaos and the Selection approaching we put off having the actual wedding until I was 21. But I was forced to now live with Oretail in a house within the inner ring just outside the place. Living with him I had to able to all the rules that had been drawn up in the marriage contract by our parents,"

"I was supposed not speak in less spoken too, I couldn't come into a room in less I was given permission too nor could I come and go as I pleased in less I was Selected. I wasn't allowed too much else but stand there and look pretty. Oretail was a very wooden man. He was all logic and reason no feelings or emotions. He never smiled or laughed and didn't tolerate nonsense. He was very serious and firm and very obsessed with everything remaining clean and on time."

"I was over the moon to be picked by the previous High Priestess Ishizu to be her apprentice. It gave me time away from Oretail who for the most part didn't even seem to know I was gone. He spent all his time being in our library as a scholar. I was very surprised that Mahad had also been chosen to be an apprentice."

"We spent much of our free time together. I was there for him each time Calicfer used his whip on him for making a mistake and he was there to encourage me. When we're together the rest of the world didn't matter nor did our impending marriages, he also had been put on temporary hold due too the pandemonium. Then finally the wretch day of fate arrived I was too marry as was he but before either of us could walk down the aisle and say I do the final battle happened,"

"I know of that it when the Heart of Xanadu stopped beating and we plunged into the darkest days of our lives as the Xanadu universe fell. No longer could it sustain life as the insanity took hold of many minds and all but 150 immortals with a tiny fragment of the Heart escaped just as the universe end and then ceased to exist. No words can accurately describe what transpired during those days, can they? It's too horrible to even fully remember. It was like an immortal holocaust so many of us became demons and killed ourselves with this cursed power we are born with,"

"Both Oretail and Afra were among those who died in the fall of Xanadu the universes. Even though technically neither Mahad nor I actually said I do we are declared widows and are forbidden to love anyone else. It's supposed to be part of the  
"Vows of Aibous"

"To be eternally faithful and love only your 'destined' partner," Seto replied sadly as they laid Mana on her bed and tucked her in. She gently kissed the sweet child forehead and her eyes welled up like sauces but as much as she wanted to shed beads of the moisture she couldn't.

"I see a lot of myself in Mana. I was just like her at that age and I don't wish to see it taken from her, her sweet and loving innocent heart. To answer your previous inquire Seto if I'd felt for Mahad that wasn't just friendship I would say yes. But I can't have them so I must take no notice of them as does he, but we'll keep this one promise to ourselves nothing will happen to this child as long as she under our protection," Isis stated firmly. Seto nodded leaving Isis alone with her 'daughter' to check on Mahad.

Seto himself strongly odium the way their crusaded society ran but for him, he felt like there was a more personal reason he abhorrence this existence but he couldn't figure out what it was. As he flew down the stairs to check on his friend he kept feeling something in his gut twist in pain as he got a bad headache as well. He shook it off as he went to check on Mahad. He saw his fellow guardians had found the correct treatment and Mahad was looking much better.

"Thank you, my friends, for your valuable help. Now go forth and do my uncle cursed bidding I'll watch over Mahad for awhile ok?" he suggests they all agreed and left.

"Mahad you have a lot more courage then most of us. I don't know how you were able to fool Father's Eye but I will say I've never seen anything more insane or compassion as what you did for Mana. You are very brave my friend,"

Whilst all this was going on a whole nother kind of meeting was going on. Those who where still loyal to the ways of the old Xanadu, or the rare individuals of the new one that, had a handful of Divan Beasts amongst them where talking privately in the magical Starlight Tower.

The Starlight Tower was made out completely out of rare star crystals that were only found within the original Xanadu. They had managed to save them and made this Tower. It was silvery sapphire in color and unbelievable tall in size, in shape it was twisted as well as turned in the elegiac method. There were no doors or windows and the crystals themselves were frictionless. To enter you had to been invited in by the King!

It was very luxury and extravagant inside and of course beautiful. Right now those who were beyond doubt faithful to King Aknamkanon were all seated in very comfortable seating's enjoying food and drinks that actually tasted good there was also a good deal of overlapping talking going.

After several moments of this disorder conduct, Aknadin let lose the Blue Phoenix. A phoenix made from the super hot blue fire of his soulless body. At once everyone became soundless and was ready for this secret meeting to begins.

"Thank you for that brother. It was most helpful,"

"Your welcome dear brother, it was very fun indeed!" laughing insanely

"Now let's get this meeting in progress. Currently 5 hours ago we had those riots that were demolishing my beautiful city. I must say I'm very disappointed in all of you! I'd thought you are able to convince those damn fools to the light of our ways! Or at the least give me warning that those riots were going to happen! I thought that why I dispatched you, little Grave Robbers! You and your Pillagers friends are supposed to be my little eyes and ears in keeping this city under control!"

"We're sorry my King!"

"That isn't good enough! Because of all your uselessness, our grand plan is in very real danger of being ruined! The Prince has escaped the city! Do any of you fucking bastards comprehend what that means to our plan now that my freaking son is out of my control?!" he bellowed.

All of the Loyalties or Traitors however you looked at it became deathly quiet. Not one of these Beings or Beasts who seemed entirely composed of the Duel Monster found in the villain's decks knew just how bad it was that Atem was gone. But they were about to find out.

"Since the riots have ended the fragment of The Heart of Xanadu has been singing. This song means the Heart is aware that an Heir to Xanadu is alive and it knows to realize it will in next to no time won't be mine to be in command of! Regardless I was going to have given it to Atem on his birthday as the laws demanded but he is such an empty shell the Heart wouldn't have been aware it had been passed!"

"He ran away to Earth! None of us know what this mysterious power of the humans' possess is. We know for certain they've no magic yet something is happening to my stupid progeny while he hiding amongst those monsters! We must get him back under control and fast if we are to bring our dream of creating a Neo-Xanadu Universes too fruition!"

"We can't afford for him to have whatever going to him on that cursed planet continue! If I'm to maintain my omnipotent powers so we may make this magnificent as well as breathtaking dream come true two things must be executed swiftly as well as immediately! One you must sway the remaining population to see my ultimate plans magnificence and wonder! Two we must get Atem back here and knock doesn't matter what malevolence poisonous he's being contaminated without immediately!" King Aknamkanon bellowed. He then dismissed the meeting but was confronted by a very unhappy woman. "Camille what is that you want?" asked the impatient sovereign to the lady.

Unlike the rest of the Divan Beings who had passed Ascending and picked a look, Camille chose to changer she looks for every day of the week. Monday through Saturday she looked the members of the Winx Club Enchantrix look. Monday as Layla, Tuesday as Stella, Wednesday as Musa, Thursday as Flora, Friday as Techna, Saturday Bloom. Sunday she spiced things up by dressing like one of the girls from W.I.T.C.H. in the order of their initials and then when five Sundays had gone by she went to the former team of C.H.Y.K.N. The only that she kept was her face which looks like a demonic fairy too be honest.

Today was a Monday so she was like Layla. But unlike the beautiful princess of the realm of Tides, she was anything but beautiful inside or happy. She had a serious bone to pick with the king.

"You know perfectly well what I want! You know if your fucking son doesn't marry my bimbo of a daughter and get an heir we're both sunk! They aren't even children they're tools! Serafina was created for the sole purpose of procreating with your progeny! So that when they had an offspring of their own it would have the finest bloodlines and be very powerful and we could keep it in line so we could continue with our dreams of resurrecting Xanadu!"

"My daughter got the looks your son got the power any child of their will be the final piece for us to have a dream a reality! Look I know you loathe hearing her name; on the other hand, I told you before Samira should've been taught her place while she was still here! I mean what immortal willingly give up their immortality? She filled your progeny head with bad ideas! You should've beaten them out of her original after that Atem wouldn't be such a rebel!"

"Don't get your exquisite fairy miniskirt in a bunch! I'm not going to let my fucking off-spring reduce to rubble a plan that been in motion for the past two decades! Don't be concerned we'll find him and I don't care how long but will get things back in order ok Camille?!"

"Well ok but just too be on the safe side I'm sending a few of my agents to Earth not just to look for him but to keep an eye on your Guardians. They don't strike me as that loyal to the memory of Xanadu as they should be," she hissed to him.

"Fine! Now I need to go to the hot tub a soak for a few hours then I'm taking a nap! We'll deal with together in the morning agreed?"

"Agreed."


	6. Being Human 101

"Being Human 101"

(There will be people and things mention in this chapter like the names school staff and things involving cleaning. This is all drawn from my real life. All the things happening at the high school are what I went through when I was there and the all cleaning stuff mention is what I do Monday – Friday for my paycheck so yeah drawing from real life here!)

Yami was completely ignorant to the trouble stirring up back home in Xanadu. He, along with Yugi had just got back to the game shop, after his first day in a human school. The day had brought plenty of surprises for him. The initial shock of seeing that the school was co-ed and how very different all the people were was a great shock, but the biggest one had come at the end of the day.

He had been gazing out the window while all the other human adolescents were engaging themselves in some type of strange ritual of some kind. Yugi seemed to be a master of whatever this ritual was.

He'd observer that this ritual was performed with thin pieces of square parchment Upon a closer look he was amazed that imprinted on these parchments that Yugi called "Cards" where the Divan Beasts of Xanadu! Yugi and his friends called this ritual a "game' it was called "Duel Monsters"

It seemed that the objective was to use the powers of the Divan Beasts, aided with the help of Immortal Objects along with Magical Punishments to annihilate your opponent's life force. It would seem that the youths and many of others of this strange planet did this for "fun." He didn't grasp any of the concepts centered on "fun" or "game."

When a young man whom he'd mistaken for his cousin at first, mocked him along with his new friends, that weird and wonderful sensation from yesterday returned. It was like a fire and he had challenged the man known as Kaiba to a "Duel" as this ritual was called. Yugi had lent him his "deck" as the collection of "cards" where called.

He had surprised everyone including himself with how well he could play. Kaiba was using some kind of human synthetic magic to make the Divan Beasts seem authentic on the other hand he knew that they're forgeries. He felt like an extra new sensation or two was emerging within him, at the same time as the Duel was played out. Though he'd experienced a strange vision when the Duel was reaching its epic climax. Something he still wasn't completely sure of what to make out it.

Kaiba had the Legendary Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. She was the queen of dragons and one of the most powerful Divan Beast ever. He had seen what her power was capable on more then one occasion back home. He felt for a few moments helpless as well as hopeless in front of her and Kaiba.

He tried to commit to memory what Yugi had told him on the subject of his philosophy "The Heart of the Cards," but couldn't feel anything. How can one believe in the Heart of the Cards if they didn't have a heart of their own? The only way he wins was if he drew the final piece to Shimon's friend Exoida. But what were the chances he does it? The deck seemed to sense his fear as well as doubt then out of nowhere Yugi and all his new friends where in his mind and helped him draw the final piece and win.

He tried to be a good sport and be nice with Kaiba like he has seen the other kids do but Kaiba shoved him to ground and ran. As they walked home Yugi put in plain words to him that Kaiba's ego was bruised, what's more, he'd allowed his heart to become stone. He'd be doomed to remain a little more then a golem unless he opened himself to others and the world. At what time that happened he'd be human once more.

Yami didn't have much time to analyze Yugi words as they went inside. Both removed their shoes and put on their slippers. They didn't see Grandpa so they went into the kitchen looking for him. They found a serving dish jam-packed homemade muffins and tea waiting for them and could perceive sounds from Solomon in the other room.

Yami thought it was strange that the kindly old man would be speaking to himself as well as holding a strange bone like device to his ear. Yami just sat at the table with Yugi and enjoyed their snack at the same time as Grandpa finished his call.

Solomon came out in a hurry as he got a jacket from the coat rack he seemed to miss that his grandson and new houseguest were home. "Uh, Grandpa? Where you going?" asked Yugi as his Grandpa was almost out the door.

"Oh Yugi! I didn't hear you or Yami come home! I'm afraid I'm in a bit of a rush. Professor Hawkins just called. I've got some important documents and photos he needs for a presentation at the university this weekend. So I've got to go drop those off and do a few more errands. I posted a list of chores that you and Yami can do. I'll pick up a pizza for dinner ok?"

"That'd be awesome, Grandpa! Make sure its spicy sausage and please pick up a box of cinnamon sticks as well!" Yugi told him happily.

"Ok well, now I'm off!"

"Uh, Grandpa you forgot your headband!" Yugi laughed as he gave his grandpa his trademark bandana.

"Oh, thanks Yugi. Don't know what I do without you!"

"Um pardon me Mr. Moto…"

"Yami please call me Grandpa. Everyone does,"

"Ok huh, Grandpa. These "chores" these are your orders? The tasks you require done to the letter with no mistake at all right?" he asked them. They looked a bit confused.

"Yami I'm asking you to help around the house and shop in exchange you can live here. I'm not ordering you do anything. I'm asking you politely if you can do the things that need to be done, done. If you make a mistake no big deal just learn from it," Grandpa told him.

"Yeah Yami everyone does chores it's how kids without jobs get money. They do their chores and get an allowance for it. Have you ever done any kind of work a day in your life?" inquired Yugi to Yami who shook his head.

"No, I've never done much of anything. I only asked because back home my father gives plenty of orders out. These tasks he gives out are expected to be done quickly and with no slip-ups of any kind or you'll face punishment. I will do my best to fulfill your wishes, Grandpa. You won't need to penalize me," he informed them both with a bow.

"Yami, if you really give your fullest efforts then I'm happy. Just doing good hard work and doing it well is important. Now I've got to get going. I'll be back by 6. The chores are on the fridge. Yugi please assist him," he said as he left.

"C' mon let's see what needs to be done. You've by no means have done chores before?"

"No,"

"Hmm," Yugi went to the fridge where a neon green plastic clipboard was stuck on. Yami looked at the fridge for a moment and thought like all the other devices it was very weird and wonderful to gaze at. Still, it was only one of the countless magnificent new things, to explore in addition to finding out more about, in this peculiar yet breathtaking new world around him.

"Ok, what he wants me to do is highlighted in Azure. What he wants you to do is highlighted in jade. So here you got to do these ones," Yugi explained to Yami who was still very bewildered.

The terminology he was reading before his beautiful amethyst eyes was like nothing he'd heard of before. They felt so, alien as he tried to get them off his tongue. He tried to annunciate the words but he kept tripping over his own tongue.

"Va…Vac…Vacuum? Spray and clean all glass surfaces? Collect gar…gar… garbage? Swe…sweep and mop? Clean the bathroom?" he read inadequately out loud his tasks inventory, with a very genuine look of utter confusion across his attractive face.

Yugi looked up from his household tasks list. He stared at Yami for a moment then sighed. "C' mon Yami, I'll show you how to get started and you can take it from there," as they walked to a small laundry room, there was a metal cabinet on the back wall.

Yugi calmly walked up to it and undid the combination lock. Inside this strange metal, the wardrobe was an assortment of bottles, boxes, outlandishly shaped buckets on wheels, along with storage bin, chock-full of long handles sticks with odd things at the ends of them.

Yami watched as Yugi got a small ladder to help him reach some of the things. Then he watched as he started to put some of the bizarre concoction bottles along with paraphernalia on one side of a weird dark green plastic basket and blue rags on the other. He set them aside on top of the washer. Then he pulled out two of the bright yellow square buckets on wheels.

"Ok pay attention Yami, I'm only going show you just this one time," he said as got what looked like an IV bag full of thick yellow liquid out of one of the boxes. Taking some scissors he held the bag in front of Yami who was paying close attention to his instructions. He didn't want to be punished for making a miscalculation.

"Ok, you just need to snip the corner of this like so," as he demonstrated, "then you slowly squeeze the cleaner out into the mop bucket. Now this one I just did it for all the titled areas that aren't the bathroom. The bathroom needs a different cleaner," he said as he got an old measuring cup and filled it only to a red line with blue liquid and dumped it into the other bucket. "Now you fill up each mop bucket. Be careful, don't get sloppy and make a big mess," Yugi said as he handed Yami a hosepipe to fill the buckets up with.

"Uh Yugi, what's this thing? Furthermore how too I use it in addition to that inquiry just what exactly do I fill those buckets up with?"

Yugi stared at him for a moment. He thought quietly in his mind, "Boy Yami must've been incredibly isolated in addition to being kept on an extremely short leash by his dad. Wherever he from and whoever his dad is, he did an extremely good job at making sure Yami can't think for himself or live on his own. I'm just going to have been extra patient if I'm going to help him,"

"Here I'll show you how to use it," as he took the hose back. For a moment their hands where touching the same spot on the hose. Yami gaze at Yugi's face as it for a split second turned crimson and he felt his own face feel like a small fire was lit for a moment.

Yugi seemed not to have, become aware of the strange coloring. As it came and went from his beautiful face. He just turned a flower shaped knob and out of the strange tube came to water. He filled them both up without making a mess.

"Ok, I'll take this one out to the shop so you can mop it later. Take the other one too the bathroom and leave it outside the door for now. Make sure both are out of the way so no accidents happen ok? Then we'll move the brooms where they need to be along with the rest of the supplies, Kay?" he said as he struggled to move his bucket, "I warn you these buckets are in serious need of oiling. Try not to spill ok? I don't want Grandpa too hurt his back."

Yami did as Yugi command and found out he wasn't telling a falsehood. Moving this infernal bucket wasn't unproblematic. It kept going every way but the way he wanted and sometimes refused to move altogether. This blue stick with long wet strings at the end wasn't helping much to steer this thing to the desired location. After 10 minutes he finally managed to get the bucket to where Yugi had wanted it. He then returned to the laundry room where Yugi was waiting.

"Here this broom goes with the bathroom and here a brush and dustpan to clean up what you get. The dust mop and other broom and pan go to the other parts of the shop,"

"Why do you've so many brooms? Wouldn't it be easier to use just one?"

"It would Yami. On the other hand, then we'd be cross-contaminating. We want as few germs as possible. Here while you're at take the vacuum into the living room. Then after your done come back here and I'll get you really started."

"Started I thought we had?"

"No this is just getting everything where it needs to be so we can start,"

He then dragged the strange device to its desired location before returning to the laundry room. Yugi was putting some pasty synthetic skin over his hands. He handed a pair of these skins to Yami who put them on.

"Yeah, I know that these latex gloves feel funny and they really dry out your skin. However, with all the cleaning we're going to do moreover when you get the trash, it's best to keep your hands uncontaminated. You don't know what touched what you're cleaning. Please change them after you complete each chore or if they rip," Yugi said as he got two rolls of garbage bags. One was long and thin and the other was thick and fat. He unrolled the thin one and tore one large bag off. After shaking it open he gave it too Yami along with the other roll.

"Ok, this is extremely straightforward Yami. You go to every wastebasket in the shop along with the house. You then remove the one inside the trashcan. Then you tie the bag up and throw it in the big one and replace it ok? Oh and to save some space if there isn't too much try putting some bags in with the other. As soon as all the trash has been collected you take it out to the dumpster out back ok? You understand?"

'Yes, I think I comprehend what I'm supposed to do. What are you going to do at the same time as I carry out this operation for Grandpa?"

"Um let's see what does he wanted me to do?" pulling out the list and reading out loud. "Sort the recycles, smash cans, fold laundry and put it away, organize the store, use a magic eraser on the walls, water the plants, and clean the kitchen up. Don't be concerned Yami I put the "closed" sign on the door so no customers will come in unannounced ok? Just holler if you need me ok?" Yugi told him brightly with a big smile on his cute face. With that, he turned and went to the kitchen.

Taking a deep breath Yami prepared for the first time in his life to do actual work. There where at least 12 different wastebaskets, it should've been no problem to do as Yugi had instructed him. However, it seemed he would be unsuccessful from the very beginning.

First few times he ended up spilling the gross contents of these vile urns. One time as he was leaving the study to go get the next one in the living room he picked up the bag from the wrong end. All of the bits and pieces came out; luckily it was mostly shredded paper. Finally, after half an hour he has through collected the trash. He tried to carry the bag but its weight surprised him and he fell to his knees when just before he got to the dumpster the bag came apart.

He let loose a howl of aggravation as he laid there on the ground. He had accidentally with his outburst caused his magic to run amok. All the trash cans on the block did a very good impression of Old Faithful, as their lids went sky high!

"Uh? Ahh!" Yami cried rolling out the way as one of those lids nearly took his head off. 'Yami! Yami! You ok?" cried Yugi as he came running and did a quick double take. "Whoa, what happened?" he asked as he began to help him pick up the loose trash.

"I don't know, Yugi. I just botched in my first task and then these metal urns exploded!"

"I guess some jerks put cherry bombs in the trash cans for a second time. Some immature dropouts did that practical joke two years ago. Guess they thought it was funny enough to try again," he muttered as they finished scooping up the garbage.

"I am extremely remorseful, Yugi. I failed miserably in doing my first assignment," Yami informed the young boy, in a very down in the dumps manner, at the same time as they walked back inside together.

"Yami the bag spilled. No big deal. It happens a lot and you got the trash collected and outside didn't you? Isn't that what the job was?"

"I guess," he replied with a forlorn look etch upon his handsome features.

"Ok just vacuum every single one the rooms with carpets. Go slowly so it will pick up. Heads up though we've been through like 3 vacuums in the past three months. So if you start to experience troubles don't be so surprised ok? Now I've got to finish up with the stuff in the kitchen ok? After your done vacuuming you can clean all the glass surfaces, you then sweep out everything. Then you do the bathroom and then finish up front in the shop. Piece of cake!"

Yami still looked like something was still bothering him. Still, with an encouraging smile from Yugi, he went to the vacuum cleaner and tried on his own how to work it. After 20 long and equal frustrating minutes, he managed to get it to figure out.

He put the lengthy orange tail tip, of the black bulky apparatus, into the black wall square with little holes. Then flipping a button he started the gadget up. Unfortunately, he was not expecting the mechanism to be so deafening when it was operational. He reacted like a frighten kitty. His feet got tangled up in the cord and slipped. He fell quickly over banging right into a chair as well as hitting his head on a low shelve when he got up.

"Ow. Is Father trying to still punish me? Does the whole universe hate me?" he moaned as he got up and tried to go on. He really wanted to do this right but he just couldn't seem to do it at all right.

However, it just seemed today was just not his day, when it came to the chores asked upon him to do. It just seemed the whole lot he did, he'd fail at miserably to achieve in the approved manner. This included not getting everything swept up correctly. Exceptionally poor job at cleaning the glass surfaces, way too much water from the mop on the floor because of not wringing it out correctly as well as not mopping in the correct technique, falling on his butt when he bent down to tie his shoe. Not doing a very good job at really cleaning the sink, mirror, and toilet.

(Please note like I said above I clean for my paycheck. This and what going to happen when we get back to the school is what I've lived through. I'm not trying to bash Atem here. But I had to struggle and make many mistakes at my job till I learned to do it correctly. So yeah everything so far I wrote with this cleaning bit. It all happened to me. So no this isn't bashing this is just real life for me)

Yami was upset as he finally finished mopping the store. Though it'd he'd left a small lake as well as numerous dry spots behind him. His whole body ached all over and his hands where very red from all this work. Still even as he empties his dirty mop water it was clear he wasn't happy at all with his work.

Yugi watches in silence as Yami began to throw a small fit. He seemed to be very upset with himself and he seemed ready to 'punish' himself once more. Yugi decides to try something to get his new friend mind off his frustration long enough to avoid him trying to hurt himself.

He quickly turned on the radio and just as Yami was about to bang his head on the metal cabinet the song "Savin' Me" by Nickleback began to drift through the small home. He stopped trying to hurt himself and went to the living room where the astonishing sound was originating from.

For some weird yet wonderful reason, this out of the ordinary melody was actually making him feel very good. It was also seemed to be inducing some kind of a daydream state in his mind. For the reason that as the beautiful words came out of the unusual music box he saw imagery in his mind. Breathtaking images all racing through his mind; they were so out of this world that his resentment at himself evaporated into thin air.

As the song ended he looked up at Yugi who was calmly sitting on the futon. "That was wonderful! I've never heard such wonderful music. That was the most uplifting and invigorating music I've ever heard in my life!"

"That was "Savin' Me" from a band called "Nickleback" they got a lot of good songs. That one's my favorite. Oh, here another good song. This song is called "Let me go" by Three Doors Down. They listen to the radio for a little while till Yugi thought he was calm enough to talk to.

"Yami?" he spoke quietly. But the boy didn't look at him. He seemed too lost in the music. "Yami?" he said a little louder as a final lyric to the song "I'm with you" by Avril Lavigne "Won't you take me by the hand, take me somewhere new, I don't who you are but I'm with you,"

"Sorry Yugi, I do apologize for not responding the first time. This music is doing something too me,"

"Music, Yami is one of the few universal things. I figured you've gotten yourself pretty wound up and just need to unwind a bit. I understand you're angry at yourself for not doing so well with the chores. But it's isn't as big a deal as you're making it out to be. No one in the universe ever does something right their first crack at it. You can't walk till you learn to crawl. Why is it so important to you get simple mundane things are done right or anything for that matter right with no mistakes of any kind?"

He closed his eyes for a few minutes and let out a sigh. "I can't make a mistake. I'm not supposed too nor are any of my people are supposed to make mistakes. We are supposed to be at all times perfect without flaw, perfect and beautiful till the end of time. We're supposed to the superior to all other races. If you make even the slightest mistake the penalty is in no way kind, to say the least,"

"It sounds to me like your father is trying to emulate Hitler or any other of the millions of insane tyrants that have made that claim."

"I've never heard that name before. To tell you the truth the only culture my Father thinks was as close to perfect as it would ever be was the world of ancient Egypt. Father is obsessed with everything being attractive in addition to unblemished. I'm required to be perfect, sadly however I've never even been close," Yami admitted as he gazed out the window at the twilight skies.

Before any more could be said the front opened and shut. "I'm home! Got the pizza! How the chores go?" Grandpa asked as he carried in the Pizza Hut Italian Bistro Boxes.

"We got them done Grandpa. But Yami didn't do so hot at his first shot," Yugi whispered quietly as he took the pizza. "Well, I'm sure by the end of the week it will be much easier. All things get better in time with practice,"

Later before bed both boys where in Yami's room. They had done the dishes together so he could feel a bit better about doing one thing right. Now they where trying to build Yami his own deck.

"Remember Yami you've got to choose the cards your heart tells you. They have to be able to work together furthermore they have to be able to reflect what's inside your own heart. Duels are about having fun and making friends. They teach you important life lessons also. Like how your first duel taught you self-confidence and faith. So what cards are speaking to you?"

He gazed at over a billion cards. Each of these cards reminded him of home. Yet all the Divan Beasts on the cards he could think of a better word for it. Well, they looked like they're happy! In all 17 years of his life, he never had seen any of his people look so high spirited. He also understood that they deserved a great deal of respect. More then they received in Xanadu that much was sure.

He had only begun to decide on his first few cards when Grandpa came into the room. "Sorry boys. Its 10:30 both of you need to get in bed. It's a school night. You can pick this up later ok?"

"Ok. You gonna be ok tonight Yami? You can sleep in my room again if you need too," Yugi said as he got up and stretched.

"No, I think I can handle being by myself tonight. I already used the bathroom."

The second day at school was a lot harder to handle then the first. Yami woke up with an extremely ghastly sensation in his stomach. His head felt exactly how Zeus felt when Athena was trying to get out and he had random spasms of unexplainable pain.

He was sitting in homeroom trying with all his might not take into account his problems. He couldn't help but overhear scores of overlapping conversations. Some of it had to deal with the Duel Monsters game. On the other hand, a great deal more had to deal with certain manuscripts and things found inside the magic box that showed other worlds within it. He didn't understand some of the languages that were being used either and he saw a great deal of the students have various devices for entertainment and communication.

He was about to ask Yugi more about what was going on when the homeroom teacher came in. The homeroom teacher was named Mrs. Bertram. She was an older woman with short faded blonde hair. Like many of the teachers at the high school, she taught a lot of things. She was the Occupations and Work Experiences Teacher. But for 20 minutes every morning, they had to sit with her in total silence as they last few things where set up and announcements where made over the PA. Then they where released and the real long and chaotic day would begin for them.

"I hope all of you've committed to memory that you're not supposed to have your cells on or able to be seen during school hours. What's more keep in mind you can't use someone else assignment book to go get a drink or use the bathroom. You have to use your own or you get nothing. Remember you've got five minutes to get to your class. So don't cuddle or you'll be facing detention or if you really act up Saturday School. I do believe none of you kids want to be here with the long weekend coming up," she said pushing her glasses up as she finished doing the mandatory paperwork.

Yami was being quiet but that feeling wasn't going away. It was like he was being ripped apart on the inside with a burning carving knife. His Puzzle then gave off a faint glow and all the phones both the schools and the student's cell phones all went off loudly. All the kids where worried that their cells would be taken but thankfully they weren't.

Still, as they left homeroom that pain was only getting worse by the minute. The first class of the day was Food and Nutritious with Mrs. Boyle. The classroom was a large room with six tables in the middle and there where six small kitchens three on each side. All the kitchens looked the same. Each had a lot of large brightly colored letter magnets and there were a lot of things spelled out. Some of it was not as mature as the rest. In view of the fact that they only cooked every other week this week was about studying out of their books.

They began to review different tableware, proper etiquette, kitchen safety. Yami was amazed that there was so much too actually do before the wonderful food and drinks where even severed. Joey and Tristan on the other hand where moaning and groaning on how stupid all this was.

"Who really gives a damn how you set a freaking table? I mean if you care about the silverware more then the food you must be nuts!" Joey whined noisily as he played paper football with Tristan.

"Yeah, it is so dumb! I mean how many forks or spoons does anyone really need? Just use one! It's so beyond dumb to have a special fork or spoon for one thing!" Tristan more or less yelled as he flicked the paper football right into Joey's forehead.

"Joseph! You and Tristan can stand out in the hall until the end of class! March! Now!" Mrs. Boyle ordered the goofs sternly who looked a bit embarrassed more so when everyone was laughing at them.

"Man! That was brutal! I hate it that adult's think they can throw their weight around just because someone acts human! We have got a right to voice our opinion!" bitch Joey when the gang met up again on their way to their next class.

"I would consider you very luckily Joey. If you had voice your tongue like that in my home you've got a far worse penalty then just standing in the hall," Yami told him as he wiped the water off his chin. He then winced in pain all over again. It was getting worse.

"You ok Yami? Maybe you should go see Nurse Dombroski. She can't give anyone a lousy aspirin because it against school policy, but you could lay down if your sick," Tea told him sympathetically but he shook his head.

"No I'll be fine, Tea I'm sure it'll pass,"

She looked unconvinced by his words but didn't say anything because of the warning bell. They ran till the got to English Class. According to Yugi, the pretty young woman Ms. Matha was a new teacher. The old one had retired last year and she was teaching her first real job. She looked like a very calm and sweet woman.

Ever student grabbed a duplicate of a tome and a folder. He looked over the time it had a tree and eyes with a strange medal on the front. There was an inscription on the back on the front was the word "Speak"

"Ok, now we last left in the book what had Melinda just admit happened to herself that night at the party?" Ms. Matha asked the class but to her disappointment but not her surprise the majority of the class particular a great deal of the ones with testosterone were being jackassed and a lot of the girls were even worse behave.

Yami was rendered speechless by how much chaos was going on. He had seen people disrespect authority before but this was so unreal. This class was beyond dishonorable and very much lacked respect along with maturity! He was shocked a great deal when Tea got up and began to yell and then punch a few of the more disobedient jerks. Yugi with the rest tried to restore order too chaos. Needless to say, they didn't get a single thing done in that period at all.

The following classes wherein Biology with Mrs. Schwingle where all of the science equipment acted like it was possessed. Computers with Mrs. Christensen where there was a minor blackout. They'd a short lunch where the soup lady Mrs. Trujillion gave free soup Yugi for he had help two weeks ago with a minor crisis. She and Yugi exchanged a few words over something called "Survivor" as he got them their free soup. However, as soon as they sat down to eat all of the food in the cafeteria out of the blue explode making one huge mess.

Then it was Math with Mr. Carles who wasn't just a math teacher he was also a highly successful real-estate man as well. He was teaching them how to really manage their money and wasn't afraid to give it to Kaibutt who act up a bit being the resident money man. P.E. with Mr. Sibert was rather dull, to say the least. Yami changed in a bathroom stall so no one sees his wings. All they ended up doing was walking around the gym or shooting hoops. Yami soon found out they did this just about everyday so yeah it was rather dull.

The last class before the free period was Life Management and Parenting taught by Mrs. Kalel. A few kids made a friendly joke with the pretty teacher concerning her name. They asked her if her husband was done saving the world and be home in time so she could polish his boots and play with his cape. Or was he too busy up north in the Fortress of Solitude? Yami had no clue what they were babbling on about but liked it that the teacher seemed to have a sense of humor and just laughed with the joke.

They opened their books and began to read the difference between newborns and toddlers. It was five minutes till the end of class when a young girl came in. She had a red necklace with a plastic card. This meant she was a Runner or a student who did errands for the offices for certain periods of the day. She gave Mrs. Kalel a yellow slip of paper and left. Reading over the paper she turned to Yugi and Yami who were doing the worksheet for today lesson. They just finished the last question when she tapped Yugi's shoulder.

"Huh? Oh hello, Mrs. Kalel. We just finished the worksheet. Is there a problem?" asked Yugi courteously to the woman with golden tresses.

"No real problem. The office just would like it if you could bring Yami down. Dr. Brainard would like to have a discussion with him for a while is all. I'll send word with your friends that you won't be in free period so you two aren't marked absent ok?"

"Ok come on Yami. Let's get going. Dr. Brainard office is located on the first floor near one of the exits," Yugi said as he collected their belongings. Mrs. Kalel finished his assignment book and off they where.

"Yugi like I told Tea earlier, I'm not sick. I don't need to see a doctor of medicine," Yami said as they passed the elevator and reach the stairs. Yugi chuckled a bit and explain to Yami. "Dr. Brainard isn't a medical doctor she is one of the school therapists. She as well as Mr. Lamb talk to the students and help them work out their problems. In view of the fact that you're new, she just wants to get to know you are all. Everyone has had a discussion with one or both of them on one occasion,"

He tried to relax but then that overwhelming feeling hit harder then ever. He was so preoccupied with this feeling he accidentally ran into a teacher. "Oh sorry! I do apologize I wasn't looking where I was going," he told the young woman. She looked so young you think she was a student, not a teacher.

"It's ok. You apologized and help pick up my papers. That is a very good manner. Oh hi, Yugi how are things going for you?" she asked as she shifted the papers so they are easier to carry.

"Fine everything is going great, Mrs. Plym. How are you're sons doing?"

"Well since they are still very young like one is almost 2 and the other is only a few months it's rough but I'll get through it. Well I've got to get back to Pride and you two better get where you're going before the hallway becomes so back it like trying to swim through a river infested with Nile Crocodiles," she said as she heads off on her way.

"She teaches a class about pride?" Yami asked clearly baffled as they continued to the desired location.

Yugi couldn't help but laugh quietly. "Pride is a special ed class. For people who have to struggle a little harder is all. Come on the place we want is just around the bend,"

They got to the door and a young woman with long strawberry blond hair was typing away at her computer and answering phones. She looked up and smiled. "Oh hi Yugi! Um, the doc will be a few moments. You as well as Yami can sit quietly till she ready,"

"Ok, Julie thanks,"

That feeling was getting worse and his hands felt very strange. It was similar to too how your body feels when a part falls asleep. He stuffed them in his pockets when they started to glow. At last, the door opened and a woman with short auburn hair in slacks and a burgundy blouse came out.

"Could you come in here Yami?" she asked him in a warm soothing voice. He slowly got up and then realized Yugi wasn't following. He is confusion and alarm must've shown because Dr. Brainard took his arm and lead him the rest of the way. "Sessions are just for me and the student. What we've got to say is confidential. Don't be concerned Yami, Yugi will be here waiting for you when we're done ok?"

"Ok let's start with proper introductions. My name is Dr. Ginger Brainard, how are you?"

"I'm fine."

"Can you give me your full name?"

"Yami,"

"I like it that you're attempting to use humor to calm yourself, but what is your last name?"

"Last name?"

"Don't joke please what is your last name?"

"I'm afraid the only name I've got is Yami. I don't possess a second part to my name," he told her honestly.

She looked at him in astonishment. Still, she was here to see if she could get him to open up. Solomon had talked to her on Sunday and told her Yugi strongly suspect that Yami was being abused and he did admit he was running away from home so he won't be forced to wed.

So she tried her best for the good part of 45 minutes to talk to him. But he was at best dodging all her questions and not giving her very comprehensible answers. She also became aware that he was giving the impression of being in some type of extreme discomforted. It was almost 2:55 when school was too end, that feeling reaches its peak. Dr. Brainard had her back turned as she poured some tea.

He couldn't hold it in any longer. His Puzzle was glowing brightly and moving wildly. Then it let loose all the build-up magical energy. Utter chaos engulfed the school. All the lockers busted open spewing their owners belongs everywhere, all the power went out, the bathrooms where flooded and that was just a few of the things going on! All of the people immediately evacuated the building and the kids headed home all wondering if their school was haunted!

Yami ran back to the game shop faster then the wind. He ran right inside not even stopping to remove his shoes he just ran to the bathroom and locked the door. He removed his shirt and jacket and undid the harness and for a few moments let his wings reach their full wingspan. He stared intensely at his sexy reflection in the mirror as he looked himself over.

His magnificent wings didn't appear to be damaged or anything that would cause these power surges or loss of control. He splashed some cold water on his face and racked his brain for a few minutes trying to figure this out. Then he slapped himself for being a dolt.

"I am going through Ascending! Damn it! Mahad said this harness may keep my wings immobile but being of royal blood my magic is stronger then the harness even though my wings are still immobile. With them restrained I'm more humanlike but because I'm royal blood and approaching my 18 years my magic is still able to do its normal function! Oh, damn it! I totally forgot that when an immortal is approaching adulthood they go through the Ascending! If I'm going to stay hidden I'm going to have to try and kept this in check," he said as he put back on the all his clothing and the harness.

He was closing the door behind when he saw Yugi and Grandpa staring at him. "You startled me!" he told them at the same time as he tried to figure out why his heart was racing so crazy.

"Yami are you ok? You just bolt from school after all that chaos happened. Then you lock yourself in the bathroom. Please tell me you didn't try to cut yourself," Yugi pleaded with him.

"No, I didn't cut myself. I just was very overwhelmed by what happened at school and that pain was so bad. I'm fine now. I think I was just having a seriously bad stomachache," he lied best he could. He felt very awful for not telling Yugi the whole truth but he just couldn't tell him it.

"I'm not surprised your stomach bothering you. Will all the stress you've got and the comfier food you been consuming it's not surprising you've got an indigestion dilemma. Why don't you boys get to your chores ok? I'm going to go look over the bills ok?" Grandpa told them who nodded in agreement.

"Yugi I know you can't help too much with my internal problems but could you tell me the answers to these countless baffling conundrums I heard in homeroom,"

"Ok shoot what did you hear that has you confused?"

"Um let's see I heard the names Harry Potter, Eragon, Cirque de freak, Artemus Fowl, Animorphs as well as a long list of names of other tomes that seemed to either has some kind of metal or are famous."

"I also heard the names of things found on the TV I think Tea called it. Let's see Avatar the last Airbender, Teen Titans, Xiaolin Showdown, Code Lyoko, countless names that fall under the category called anime. Live action shows like Heroes, Medium, Smallville, and ER. I also heard of something called reality shows uh Savior, Big Brother, Fear Factor, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol?"

"There was also something called 'movies' being talked about. A few names of this movies I was able to catch where um, "Star Wars, Spider-man and many other superheroes, Shriek, A walk to remember, Titanic, anything from a man named Hayao Miyazaki or anything from something called Disney seems to be held in the highest respect."

"They also mention many more names of your wonderful music makers but I never heard of any of them before. Yugi what does it all mean?" Yami asked as he filled the mop bucket up himself this time.

"That Yami is what we call "Pop Culture." It is all the things that many people all like and is very popular. Like Duel Monster's a popular game all that stuff you just mention is also part of pop culture. How about during this long 4 day weekend we got me and the rest of the gang help get you up to speed on all the pop culture we can. I mean since the teachers are having their meetings Friday through Monday we'll have plenty of time also we get out early on Thursday at 11:30 so they can start those meetings. We come back here we do our chores then it will be time to download!"

They gave each other a high five in agreement. "Maybe I can use a little of my magic to absorb this 'pop culture and it would burn off enough of the extra magic that I could keep control while in public," he thought too himself. By the time Tuesday had rolled around again, he now was just as up as the rest of the gang and he was acting more as a 17-year-old boy should be.

It was still a mystery to the gang how Yami was able to read all six books so far of Harry Potter in two hours or how he could quote the entire four-hour movie of Titanic word for word but they didn't knock. He was happy and laughing he was enjoying being a teenager. When he and Yugi got home from school he got to work right away and finished with half an hour to spare and everything looked great! Better then ever!

"This is great Yami! You have made some serious progress in a week's time. I've never in all my years seen this place as clean as you've made it today! Why the floors are so clean I can see myself! I'm proud of you! For working so hard and not letting a few setbacks get the best of you!" Grandpa told him proudly as he looked over the whole building.

"Thank you for your benevolent words, Grandpa. On the other hand, it is I who should be giving you words of praise,"

"Me? Why? What have I done?"

"I've never worked before in my life. You've have taught me a great lesson in the value of hard work along with persistence. I will always remember it well, Grandpa. Now is it all right if Yugi and I go meet the gang at Sub-Zero Treats? I would love to have a smoothie after working so hard," he asked him politely.

"Yes, you may go. But tell Yugi I want you back no later then 9:45 and keep your cell phones on you at all time,"

For some reason, Yami hugged Solomon then he and Yugi cut and run to the new hip hangout.

Solomon watched as the boy's vanished from sight. With a sigh, he went to close the door, to the shop so he could catch a few 'z's when he noticed something at his feet. Reaching down he picked it up, it was feathers. Extraordinarily out of the ordinary feathers unlike anything he had ever seen.


	7. Releasing the Hounds of Hell

"Releasing the Hounds of Hell"

Finally, after three long and agonizing weeks, which to immortals was like three hours, everything in Xanadu was back under control. If being imprisoned forever with an injustice empire ruled by a bogus monarch's iron fist was 'under control.'

The Sacred Guardians had run themselves ragged as well as thin. Each of them tried in a vain effort to accomplish the madman's desires. Between dealing with the mayhem both within the palace as well as outside, working overtime to produce more harnesses and keep the dungeon toasty, helping Mahad recuperate as well as dealing with the ferocity of the King whose foul mood grew with each passing second worse. It was no real surprise they're oblivious that something else, something of a very dark nature was conspiring on behind their backs.

All and sundry were beyond exhausted from slaving away so hard. Three weeks with little to no sleep or nourishment of any kind along with overtaxing their magic to the point they practically went into a coma. It was extremely dangerous to overuse your magic even if you're of Divinity. Magic came from within a person core and got its strength from their life-force. On the other hand, it had its limits. Like all things in life whether that life was a mortal or immortal. Using too much at once or a lot at once with no resting cycle you could go into a coma for about a month before your body replenishes its energy. Even a fully Ascended Royal had to be cautious about how they used their magic. The Heart helped to a degree but it had its own limits as well.

King Aknamkanon wouldn't let them even have a 'coffee break.' They'd begged him time after time to consent to them some time to unwind in addition to being allowed to take it easy. He just bellowed, "Get your fucking flying asses off the ground and get my city back in order! I won't tolerate any more incitement to rebellion from my underlings! At what time you finish bringing back order to this chaos and my city is the jewel of the universe once more then and only then are you allowed to rest! Now don't pester me again with this request!"

The Guardians just barely made it to Mahad's Lair before falling dead to the world from the sheer exhaustion they felt. They just pass out on any space on the floor they could find! Mahad used the last ounce of strength to get Mana into his bed. The little one was by the far the worst of all of them. He ran his fingers through his 'child' lengthy russet tresses before gently kissing her forehead and slipping her a piece of candy, he had stolen from Aknadin's private stash. Then he slumped down in a chair next Isis with the tips of their wings touching and fell into a dreamless slumber like the rest of his friends

Mana was tossing and turning in Mahad's comfortable double bed. After awakening from her magical slumber, she had gone too see if Master Mahad was alright. What she saw horrified her, he looked worse then before she had slumbered. The dark shadow magic was ravaging him within, so he'd never fail to remember that mistakes weren't allowed here in Xanadu.

He'd saved her life with that lie. She never left Mahad side that night. She'd fallen dead to the world once more next too him only too wake up with a blanket around her. Mahad looked a bit better and it looks like someone had given him some type of treatment to cure him of the dark magic still inside him.

Still, she couldn't stay with him. For with him out of commission, she was forced to do all the spells work on her own, till he could get out of bed. Promising silently to herself she would do this for Mahad she began to work feverishly to do the magic asked upon her. Despite the fact, it was all far too advance for her as well as having to do it all herself when it required two.

She didn't care at the time for her own health. She did what was asked of her and spent any few minutes with Mahad she could. Nevertheless due too her lack of experiences and knowledge she really had too overtaxed herself. Adding too this was the stress both outward and inward plaguing her young mind only used up her magical energy reserves faster.

For the duration of these past three weeks at the same time as she has done this hellish labor, her focus had been split in clean in two. While one part of her mind was focusing all of its energy on her job the other was plagued deeply by guilt, ignominy and repressed memories full of unwanted feelings.

She felt guilty that Master Mahad had been given such a punishment when, it was she, who should be dead. However, this guilt of hers ran much further in her mind then anyone around at the time suspect. Whilst her conscious mind was doing the extremely intricate in addition to primordial enchantments, her subconscious mind was reliving her childhood, full of anguish, neglect as well as ridicule.

It had started when she was attempting to formulate duplication potion to speed up the development of manufacturing additional harnesses. On the other hand, her dainty hands were shaking so badly, she had spilled a bit of Mahad's liquid hair gel on the spell book. A quarter of the page was blemished and she was in such a rush to get this finished, she didn't even have time to clean it up. So it ended up taking her twice as long to make the potion. For the reason that the quarter of the piece of paper that was blemished was the half, she had yet to commit to memory.

As she worked quickly to make the potion best she could from starch she was being tormented by her past. Her earliest memories of her own mother had surfaced and they weren't kind at all. Her mom Oralee had called her a disgrace in addition to a mistake from birth. A fluke in the "Perfect Xanadu World" that she had been suckered with.

Mana's mother Oralee was incredibly young when she escaped the fall of the original Xanadu. By the time she had gone all the way through Ascending, her personality was an extremely austere as well as proper yet jaded lady. She was extremely old-fashion and very quick to get angry but not in an explosive manner. Two things she was talented in was singing and dancing which was what her occupation was. She had zero tolerance for those with bad voice or being klutzes. Regrettably, for Mana, she was both. Also, her mother bitterly hated magic. She would yes use magic in her own, but she simply loathed magicians and openly berated Mana for her 'foolish dreams" of being a Magician.

Mana never was able to please her mother. When she was scarcely four years old her mom took her to the Academy. Just told the Headmistress that her name was Mana and said she was nothing but an object of shame, that she was no longer gonna be responsible for. Then turned and flew off never too return. Mana had until she was barely 17 suffered day in and day out from her teachers and peers, being the unlucky victim of every malicious joke and practical joke at the Academy. She was constantly being openly sneered at in addition to being torment verbally as well as physiologically. There had been countless nights she wishes she could cry but couldn't.

That had changed when Mahad had come in the hunt for an Apprentice to teach. She had spent a great deal of time at first trying too please Mahad. However after what he had just done, to save her from being made a mortal and lynched. She realized that he did love her for her, furthermore, she didn't need to prove anything too him.

After some very serious consideration over many different issues regarding this particular subject, Mana had, at last, come to terms, with how she truly felt about both Mahad and Isis. She realized beyond a shadow of a doubt that when it came too both them her feelings where this. Feeling safe and sound as well as out of danger, cared, loved and accepted for who she was and not ridiculed for what she wasn't. So as all her painful childhood memories came flooding back she was more determined then ever to make sure Master Mahad no her Father didn't have to take such a blow like that again. Nor would her real mother, Isis, have to witness her true love mutilated like that again either. It was these thoughts that kept her going even when she knew she was making herself severely sick.

She had just finished making the last of the cursed harness when Mahad was at last well once more. He had come seeking his daughter out to see if she was alright. He was at first confused by the chaos spewing out all over his Lair. It was like a maelstrom had been unleashed while he had been comatose. With a single snap of his fingers, the mess was nowhere to be found, however, in the center of the floor lying lifeless was Mana. He rushed to her side hoping to Heart of Xanadu his deception hadn't been uncovered and she had paid the price.

It was at this time the rest of the Guardians came dragging their zombie-like bodies in. When Isis came in and saw Mana condition she was equally horror-struck. Gently removing Mana from his arms, she then in her soothing velvet voice instructed her lover that he had to finish what remained of the magic work. She would watch over Mana and see she received the help she needed.

Reluctantly Mahad did as she commanded and left too finished Aknamkanon evil desire. He paused only long enough to see Shimon trying to help Mana whom catatonic state was a direct result of her being forced to burn the candle at both ends. Mahad for a single moment wordlessly wished he knew the Spell of Mortally. So he could eradicate the false king for doing this to his child.

He did what was left too do and then had placed Mana who looked a little better due to the elixir Shimon had given her on his bed. He had in his fury managed to get a single piece of Aknadin's precious candies that he kept under lock and key. He slipped into Mana hands so she'd have something sweet when she came out of her coma. Now like all the rest of his friends he was in a dreamless slumber.

Whereas the Guardians were now laid about like corpses waiting for their graves to be dug for them, it was a much different scenario inside the King's Bedroom. Aknamkanon was lying out on his massive bed as his handmaidens did various things. Each of the maidens looked like Egyptian slave girls. They were doing everything from giving a full body massage, hand feeding him and his guests lip smacking passion fruit in addition to other delectable and performing for them.

Even Aknadin was getting his ya-yas out of this sickening display. He was especially over the moon when one of the more stunning virgin dancers, who bore a strong resemblance to his late wife Aida, had come up too him. The young girl really began to put on a show as she danced in front of him and then removed a sash and wrapped it around his neck and threw herself in his lap and being to jiggle her perfect bosoms in his face. Then she let her long delicate fingers crease his face as she giggled in a flirting manner along with playing with him a bit more.

Then as the music and dance picked up the young girls bared it all behaving like drunken strippers as they danced nude before the King, his brother, and Camille all who amused at the girls' absurdity. Finally, Aknamkanon grew bored to death and dismissed them. Although he bluntly refused to give them their garments back so they had to go take to the air naked too their cramp chamber just for one last sick laugh.

"Ah, Brother, you certainly know how to put on a great show! I loved it all so much!"

"Yes, those stupid girls do anything to feel wanted and loved,"

"Well considering their background. What else is there for young girls too do in life when they've no magic or proper education but be comfier women too you? Though I do enjoy it myself with these toys of yours," quietly laughing evilly followed by with an ominous sneer asked him "Do you perhaps have some of the other gender mixed here as well?" Camille inquired in a sly manner as she flipped her long red hair. It was a Saturday so she looked like Bloom today.

"I suppose I could lend you a few of my males, but why the interest, Camille? Doesn't your Seraphim fill your heart with a fiery passion? Why would such a bewitching vixen as you require a comfier man?" inquired Aknamkanon at the same time as he slipped on his causal negligee.

"You really need to ask that?" Camille fumed as she rolled her catlike amber eyes. She placed her dainty gloved right hand on the air like she was pressing it against something. A mirror of fire erupted in showing her husband. It seemed both father and daughter where nothing more then beautiful doormats. Her handsome husband was at that moment in her shoe closet and was polishing all 200 pairs of her size four and a half shoes. But he wasn't using a rag to clean them he was using his tongue. He was obviously just Camille grinning brain-dead lackey.

"Extraordinarily handsome I will admit, but it was so easy to bend him to my will. It wasn't very fun at all. I'd him doing my every whim within a week after our marriage ceremony. So depressing if truth be told it's more fun when they squirm as you break them. Still, neither you two could control your wives!" she yelled with a dramatic demonstrate her unique enchantment.

"Both of you lost them because you weren't firm enough with them! You allowed them to get to independence that they forgot their place! Now we're facing the serious consequences of that! The Prince is already endangering our magnificent dream and I strongly believe your son Seto isn't that far from straying his loyalties away either!" yelling at Aknadin whom then became engulfed with his blue flames.

"Now just wait a minute you shape-shifting bitch! My progeny is beyond a shadow of doubt loyal to the true Xanadu! He does everything he's commended to do, quickly and without question and he never once shows the weakness of any kind! I can personally assure you that Aida who was very beautiful, weakness and disloyal isn't within him! He doesn't even recall her in the slights!" he bellowed to her with his Blue Phoenix ready to send her packing for her rudeness.

"You fancy a brawl Cyclops? Excellent! Let's have added it! C'mon lets see you strut your stuff!" she yelled and it would've been a clash of titans if Aknamkanon had stepped in. With a massive amount of power, he moved Aknadin and Camille away from each other.

"Look don't' you two start acting like human children alright? That isn't what this private meeting is about! We're here to discuss who is to be charged with the task of obtaining my mutinous fucking progeny and returning him to Xanadu! Now can we have this take place before another eon goes by?"

"Fine let's get this meeting underway, that if you two are done having an extraction," Camille muttered cynically as she conjured up a golden throne for herself and sat in a very seductive manner.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Seeing how you're the last Lady of Xanadu and the most loyal to our vision I won't punish you for that snide remark but tempers that tongue please Camille?" Aknamkanon told her quietly.

"Very well,"

"Good now we need a small elite team. About three or four should do adequately. Four hell hounds seeking a brainless little rabbit who won't know it's been caught in a tarp till the jaws snap tightly shut. Who do you think fits that description dear brother?"

"I volunteer Seto, of course, seeing how he is Atem's cousin he would be very useful. Also, his Rod has the power of Mind Control which would come in very handy dealing with those repulsive humans! Also, we could use that blasted Magician Mahad. He outta go and get the fucking prince seeing how it's his fault he escaped in the first place!"

"We also would be free of that embarrassing excuse for an Apprentice as well as Divan Being. What is that pathetic little urchin's name anyway? Mab? Mae? Mala? Anyway, it doesn't matter because she goes where he goes! Beside Mahad's Ring can locate the Prince's Puzzle. I suggest we add that blasted Isis as well. With the power of Foresight held within her damn Necklace, it would make this hunt go faster and I don't need to remind you two Neanderthals time isn't on our side this time!" Camille hissed wrathfully too the men with her long red hair flying around.

"Geez, woman! Don't you think we both know that already!? Without a doubt the Prince has already begun too, Ascended, in addition to that tiny predicament whatever those vile, as well as despicable swine's, are doing too contaminated him with their mendacity is threatening my brother's control of the Heart!" barked Aknadin as all their eyes gazed at the Heart around Aknamkanon neck.

Within the past three weeks, the Heart's usual dull as well as lifelessness appearance was progressively shifting in a direction they didn't favor. Each passing day the color of the Heart went from a dark rusty color to a brighter crimson in addition to that the light in the center was also getting brighter. All the same the most horrible was the Heart's Song. Its beautiful dreamy melody to them was like someone running their nails on a chalkboard. Whatever was happening to Atem on Earth was stimulating this most unwanted behavior from the Heart.

"Yes, we can see that quite clearly you Cyclops! That fucking defective Prince is jeopardizing our plans to resurrected Xanadu to its former glory! I strongly recommend we have a contingency plan in case we can't for some unidentified factor can't get Atem back here a week before his 18th birthday!"

"Agreed. That would be a good course of action to execute in case further problems arise. Now before we give the order to send the four off to Earth to get that unappreciative progeny of mine what do you think the remaining court should do? We must keep a tight grip on the predicaments here if we're to bring our wonderful plans to fruition,"

"Well let's see who we've left. We've Shada, Shadi, Karim, and Shimon. We also have those additional defective Governesses you had that twit created along with those wonderful harnesses I designed. So what pray to tell can we encumber the bums with?" asked Aknadin as he made an attractive cobalt colored-glass phoenix candy dish materialize in his lap. He rubbed his hands together and drooled eagerly waiting to dine upon his precious sweets. His hands like all of them were stained with the unseen blood and dirt of their heartlessness actions too their fellow people.

He at a snail's pace lifted the lid and gazed at his wonderful sweets. Each candy looked like an electric blue 12 pointed star, they're rare Star Candies. Star Candies were the rarest and most sought after candy in the universe. There were only found within the very center of stars themselves. It was very easier said than done to obtain them, due to the peril involved in acquiring them. On the other hand, their taste was well worth the danger. They were sweeter then even the most innocent of children's dreams.

He breathed in their delightful aroma and went to pluck the first one when his one real eye became as narrow as a toothpick. "How can this have happened?!" he bellowed loudly!

"What is it now, Cyclops?"

"I'm missing one of my candies! Last time I had my Star Candies I'd had exactly 101487 pieces! Now I only have 101486! I keep them well concealed from the rest of the palace! So whoever stole it will pay most dearly! I'm going to…"

"Do nothing Brother! Anyone who knows you knows exactly where you hide that candy dish,"

"Yeah hiding underneath the jeweled phoenix inscribe on your bedroom floor is that original. Look we don't have time to deal with something as mundane as if someone took one stupid piece of your candy! Besides, I could use my magic and give you a mouth full of cavities and you've to deal with that barbarian called a dentist! You have got a mouthful of rotten teeth if we were affected by such things! So shut your yap about you stupid candy and let's finish this meeting!" Camille berated to him sadistically.

"Fine!"

"Now let's see Shada and Shadi are still best suited to work the dungeons. After all Shada's Key possesses the power to reveal what a person whether they're Beast or Being true nature. furthermore, he best suited to work along with Shadi whom as well all know isn't a true Divan Being rather a Divan Spirit in view of the fact that he doesn't possess an authentic corporal form," the King related to his comrades.

"Nope, that weirdo is merely our universe's Spirit of Law and Order. He is the one charge till kingdom come with the Duty of being the Xanadu's Judge, Jury, and Executioner. Though truthfully he gives me the creeps! I vote we keep baldy and ghost boy out of sight and out mind!" Camille told them.

The Royal brothers agreed with her. Now, what were they to do with Karim and Shimon? For some mysterious reason, the King very much loathed Shimon and seemed to have some personal vendetta with the old one. He seemed to want to make the old one suffer a great deal.

"Look, dear brother if we're going to keep order Karim is going to need someone to be there with him! We can't count too much on your governesses for their help in the matter! We can get some other abysmal fool too look after those damn Infinite Archives!" Aknadin yelled at his brother whom for a few moments seemed lost in a world of his own. Scowling disgusted he that he was being ignored he used his Eye to get his brother to heed his words,

"I do admit that the old geezer was the best-glorified bookkeeper we've ever had down there. On the other hand, as much as it has pained me to articulate this. The fact remains we require two people from the Court, in order to keep the city from going into pandemonium. So whatever shit you got with a guy older then time itself cast it aside for the good of Xanadu. If we're too bring our dream too live and recover all we lost then you got too put Shimon with Karim,"

He growled for a few moments then nodded. "Now that we've got that covered let's turn our attention to another matter at hand. Camille, I call to mind you desire to send your own team out as well? I wish to scrutinize who you've chosen for this particular hunt for such an elusive prey?"

"As you wish oh wonderful king. Vixens I summon thee!" she yelled loudly and in a very remarkable but stylish show of both the perfect mixture of beauty and magic materialized three identical young ladies.

The dancers from before where now complete driven from the men's mind at breath stealing site of these vixens. It was like looking in a three-way mirror because it was impossible to tell the girls apart.

Each girl was exactly 5'7 with long silky tresses with the left side was turquoise, right amethyst with magenta bangs. Delicately thin arch eyebrows, amber cat eyes with a diamond under their right eye. Elvin ears with Bjorn style earrings. A golden chocker with the triad symbol (Think Charmed). Strapless blue top, bare midriff matching caprice pants with a golden sash, golden heeled sandals and an elaborate "X" tattoo on their right upper arm.

"I give a gentleman my Vixens. Now if you put your tongues back in your wide open traps I show what these girls can do," Camille as they went too a private area and Aknamkanon was indeed blown away by the Vixens. Each one of them had great power and their teamwork was unparallel. Even their individual names of Oba, Pomona, and Shakti all named after goddess greatly pleased him. After a short but effective show of the Vixens abilities, they're ready to execute the Hunt.

"As you can see my Vixens are perfect in every way conceivable. Highly intelligent, work well as both a unit and on their own, can instantly adapt to any situation that comes up. They can fight with both magic and fists. They loyalty to us and our vision 1000 All the three Bs, beauty, brains, and brawns all wrapped up in a beautiful package for us. Once given an order they will carry it out no matter what it takes. So if any humans get in the way of them achieving their objective they can kiss the grim reaper in a second."

"Camille you've done well. I'm most pleased with these Vixens of yours. So what is the order you shall give them?" said the King as they came to the throne room.

"Your team may look for the Prince but my girls will look for him and keep an eye on yours should they prove disloyal. Now call forth those glorified lackeys! We don't all eternity anymore!"

The King with a vicious smile summoned his Court. They're all but Mana forced from their dreamless slumber. Realizing they had only got 3 and a half hours of slumber after so long of working themselves to the bone! Still, all had to report to the king when he summoned them. Shimon gave Mana some more elixir which got her to wake up. Nevertheless, she was still too weak to fly or walk. Mahad instructed her to quickly ingest the candy with the rest of the elixir and that would give her enough of a boost of energy to at least make to the throne room.

They all dragged themselves down to the throne room. The King, his brother, and the Lady all looked so much better then them. They waited to be told what was the next task.

"I thank you all for your hard work of dealing with the aftermath of these riots. Now we can pursue the true objective at hand. Finding my son and bringing him home. We've discussed it and hear what we've decided. Seto! Mahad! Isis! Magician Apprentice! You're to embark on the quest to bring back Atem in three hours! I suggest you prepare for the barbaric along with the primordial world of humans and quickly! Shada you and Shadi duties remain the same! Karim in Isis absence you're a partner in patrol will be Shimon. Now go and do what's being commanded of you!"

Everyone did as they where told. Three hours later the four chosen stood before the king dressed in human street clothes. Seto was wearing a blue hoodie with kakis his Rod safely tucked away. Mahad was also wearing a hoodie but he was purple with black jeans and boots. His Ring was around his neck. Isis was wearing an off the shoulder amber top with a short matching mini skirt. Her Necklace was still around her neck. Mana was wearing a bright blue and pink belly shirt with a picture of the shape of Xanadu on it with matching pants and platform sandals. Her wand that was her Immortal Item was now disguised as a pen.

They all had their own harness with on them already. The king was going to send them to Earth. They had been given a ring to wear that would able them to use their magic for a short time with the harness on. It was also a way to contact the King who insists he gets an update report twice every day of their progress.

They told him that their plan was simply to nudge Atem in the right direction. They would find him but won't confront him in a hostile manner that would make it harder to get him to come home. Rather the slowly and gently ease him to come home on his own.

Of course, Aknamkanon didn't like anything like that but they insisted further hostel would only make things worse and this was the best approach they could think of. It also had the best chance to work. Reluctantly he agreed to the plan with his fingers crossed behind his back. He then used his magic to send them to Earth and dismissed everyone else. After twenty minutes had gone by he turned to Camille and said 'Release the Hounds of Hell!"

Smiling she called forth her Vixens and gave them orders and then they vanished too Earth like a pack of hunting dogs ready to kill.


	8. Surviving the Hunt

Surviving the Hunt"

Yugi was gazing his smooth pools of amethyst seeing water, at what seemed to be an endless utopia of the most beautiful of dreams. He was floating within the crystal-clear skies of dancing rainbow colors that seemed to glitter as if it where truly breathing. It was as if gravity was non-existence as he acted like he was in space twisting his tiny sexy body in total 360 of motion. He then began to take in every little detail of this weird and wonderful world around him.

Surrounding him ubiquitously were the most astonishing along with uniquely designed buildings he ever saw. All over the great dream society soaring on the celestial winds were winged angelic beings as well as the most remarkable flora and fauna that seemed even beyond the human mind vast as well as wonderful imagination to conceive into existence. This world was beyond words of Man to describe.

A pair of chariots, one of in shape of a gold swan with matching golden fire swans was being driven by a beautiful maiden as she was involved in a race with a handsome boy driving a silver chariot in the shape of an owl being driven by the same creature. They laugh gaily and pass right through him as if he wasn't even there!

Shocked he looked and saw he wasn't corporal! He was diaphanous! For a few minutes, he was overcome by fear then heard a weird and wonderful song traveling throughout the skies. This melody was the most beautiful tune his ears had ever heard.

As the wonderful soothing song continued to resonates, its enthralling tune something weird and wonderful was taking place to Yugi himself. He felt his heart now beating in sync with the out of the ordinary song and then without thinking was being pulled rapidly to the source of the song. He didn't fight if he just let the invisible string pull him closer to the source of the song. Yugi's beautiful eyes saw he was being pulled too what appeared to be a star, yet this star was beating like it was a heart.

Now the song was gradually changing as was the landscape. The closer he got to this star-heart its song was no longer beautiful or full of life. The once heavenly and hopeful melody of something found only in a dreamer's heart was now gone. In is place was song full of pure anguish, hopeless and unbelievable pain.

The new song matches perfectly what was happing to the society around Yugi which now looked like a war zone full with death, disease, and ghosts. The winged race now looked like demons all but handful hands where stained with fresh dripping blood and covered in the bloodstain soil from head to toe. This entire place seemed to be like a diseased rotten abrasion left wide open on a once innocent face of purity.

The star-heart only had a very faint glow and it was nearly impossible to hear it beating. He felt his own heart in his chest slow down as if to reflect the dying one before him, only a very faint glow from the very heart of this star-heart remained. He pressed his hand on the heart.

"I sense your pain, I hear you plea for help. How can I help fix a Living Heart that is broken?"

The Heart responded to his inquiry with a weak wordless melody. This tune became a wisp of sunset-colored glittering light. It danced before the pure soul boy and then entered his own heart. Now the melody became infused with Yugi's own heart's song blending the two songs till they made a new song. This new song was unlike anything heard before.

Before Yugi could ask what just happened everything went black as night and foreign sound invaded the dreamy night as he was forced to greet the dawn fair light.

"Ah! Ow!" Yugi exclaimed as he fell out his bed onto the floor. Rubbing his tender head he turned off his alarm clock. "Funny I don't remember setting it since today Saturday. But might as well get up anyway and use the shower. Before Grandpa or Yami do and use all the hot water," he remarked quietly. He went to his dresser to get his clothes and found himself humming a tune he never heard before.

Catching this he looked at himself in the mirror and he thought back to his dream. He like most people didn't remember his dreams very often. On the other hand, he could recall everything about this dream in perfect detail and it wasn't the first time he had had this particular dream.

He started to have this dream shortly after Yami had come into his life. With each passing day, the dream was longer in addition to more detail. This, however, was the first time he remembers this tune. He just knew that both the dream and this strange tune were of great significance. He also knew he has to wait until the right time had come for their meaning to be made known to him.

He walked silently down the narrow hallway to the bathroom. He passed his Grandpa with no trouble but as started to go past Yami's room he noticed the door was slightly ajar and a faint song was coming out. Tip-toeing quietly he peeked in at Yami and smiled lovingly.

Yami's room now looked more like he actually lived there and not just a guest room being used. The soothing light green walls now adorned with various posters as was the bookcase full of a variety of books. Knickknacks and trinkets of all kinds were lined all over and he had his own computer system and CD player with a mountain of CDs as well as burned DVDs. It really looked like a teenager's room now, full of bits and pieces and a tad on the messy side. As for Yami himself?

He was half hanging off the bed with a little drool on his adorable face. The book "The Thief Lord" not quite out his hands; he had obviously been reading it last night. The music that Yugi had heard was coming from the loose earphone from Yami's I pod.

He had told Yugi that it seemed to help him a great deal when he was exposed to music. He said he felt stress-free and in control. Yugi hadn't known what the in control was about, but seeing how music did help Yami, he and all his friends had chipped in and bought him an I-pod and programmed in the best songs they knew which include some of their favorites.

"Here (In your arm) by Hellogoodbye from Joey, Tristan programmed 'Face Down" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, "How too save a life" by Fray from Bakura, "It's not over" by Daughtry from Duke, "It ends tonight" All American Rejects from Grandpa, "If My Heart Had Wings" Faith Hill from Tea, and from Yugi "If Everyone cared" by Nickleback. They had countless others in the I-Pod as well.

The song coming out of his I-pod on repeat was "Perfect" by Simple Plan. Yami seemed to really want to hear a few kinds of songs in practically. Songs concerning the concepts of love, friendship, life, dreams, just things Yugi felt any person question in life general but it was almost like Yami was really trying to find for himself that these things actually did really exist. He may've looked incredibly silly at that moment; however, in Yugi eyes he was so adorable. He looked like an innocent child dreaming a sugary sweet dream. It was enough to make, Yugi's go slightly red in the face for a moment at the same time as he walked into the bathroom.

As Yugi started the shower his mind became more entangled with thoughts about Yami. His mind was racing so rapidly with so many diverse thoughts along with feelings. The weird and wonderful reoccurring dream, the unexplained phenomenon's that had been happening everywhere, helping Yami with his problems. The most important thought of all was also ravaging his mind. Despite the fact that he wouldn't say it out loud his own personal feelings about the mysterious young man were in the mix as well. They alone were enough to cause a storm that makes Katrina look like a small drizzle to what was taking place in his heart and soul.

As the soothing hot water began to crest his small yet very sexy figure his mind drifted to an event from yesterday when something had occurred that had greatly affected both him and Yami.

Despite the fact that Yami had been attending school, in addition to, hadn't gotten into any real trouble, he couldn't keep going without doing two things first. He had to take both an IQ along with an Aptitude test so the school board knew what his needs were. So yesterday during the free period the two of them had gone to the office and he took both tests. It should have taken at least two to three hours to finish the tests. He had done it in 45 minutes!

The principal Mrs. Deb Nelson and the Assistant Principal Mrs. Stephanie Jeanblanc along with the School Superintendent were shocked; even more so by the results of the tests, apparently for someone who hadn't been really exposed to normal things of everyday life he was incredibly intelligent!

Grandpa who was Yami 'acting guardian' saw the results he was so shocked he fell out of his chair. Yami's IQ was measure around 350! He did remarkably well in the subjects of Mathematics, Political Science, Science, English, and World Studies. Yugi had questioned him outside the administrative office on how he was so intelligent yet so naive about life.

His only answer for being book-smart was due to two factors of his past, one his upbringing and two he had a very large library back home he'd spent a great deal of time in it when he was very young.

The other thing the school required to let him keep going was a mandatory physical, just a simple routine health check to make sure he was healthily and had all his shots. So they had driven to the nearby hospital to get Yami to check out. Yami had taken a great deal of pleasure in the car ride, seeing how riding in a car was better then being almost run over by one.

They parked the emerald green 1997 Chevy Cavalier outside the hospital. Yami didn't like it at first, because the CD player was in the middle of Green Day wicked cool song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" when the car stopped. Still, he'd done what Yugi asked and followed them. He stopped in confusion as he read the unfamiliar words adoring the massive building in front of him.

"Domino City Community Hospital and Non-Profit Clinic? What is this weird place Yugi?" he asked as they walked inside the bizarre dwelling.

"It's a hospital. You know doctors of medicine, medication, needles, blood? Like uh ER only real,"

"I think I understand now this is where people go when they're sick. They're treated by really hunky men and attractive ladies and nurses with attitude and a couple of jackasses that run the desk and everyone have screwy love lives and family problems?"

Laughing his head off till tears came out, he smiled "Yeah I guess you could say that. But your not gonna find anyone with such a cool accent as Luka here or who is weird as Morris. I doubt you find anyone as smart as Neelia here either. Still, it is an incredibly good show. I can't believe you watch all 13 seasons up too what they got now! How is that you've been assimilating countless different things so quickly? Do you have got a photographic memory or something?"

"That's my secret Little One. Still, why are we, here if no one is sick?" he asked inquisitively as his beautiful pricing amethyst eyes took in the whole thing.

"Yami the school won't let you keep coming in less they known your healthy. So we're here do have you looked over. It shouldn't take too awful long if they don't get slammed."

"Am I to understand these doctors desire to examine me?" he asked turning white as a ghost. He felt a new feeling coursing throughout his body. He didn't know what it was but it didn't feel good at all. The more this feeling grew the more that awful feeling that came about when his Ascending was about to be made known did as well. He reached for his I-pod but then had been dragged back to an Exam Room.

He looked terribly scared as well as bewildered by all this. Like he was a wild animal stuck in a cage and wanted out! He seemed barely able to keep it together as they went over everything. Yugi noticed his eyes seemed to be pleading with him to get him out of there and fast. Yami was becoming more stressed out and they won't let him have his I Pod back till they were done with the examination.

Yugi also noticed that things all over the ER where happening as Yami's anxiety were going on. It was little things like lights flicker, and water fountains not working, just normal little problems. He then heard Yami yelling extremely piercingly as well as incoherently. He turned and saw that a nurse had attempted to remove his jacket so they'd finish up with a few quick blood tests. Yami had kicked the tray over with the needles and was now acting incredibly irrational.

"Yami?" Yugi asked as he watched as Yami now doubled over in some kind of pain. The nurse and doctor tried to get to him but he just pushed them down as if they were rag dolls and grabbed his I-Pod. He then disappeared down a swarming corridor. At this time all the clocks began to spin wildly and a few of the medical cabinets exploded and the lights went out.

After the backup generators kicked in Yugi and Grandpa frantically search the hospital for Yami. They found him passed out in a broom closet like all his energy had been drained yet he was smiling happily as the song Breakaway was playing.

The doctors gave them the best report they could in addition to this; they strongly suggested that they've Yami see a psychotherapist. His outburst suggested to them if he didn't want to be seen shirtless or touched in a certain manner then Yugi's gut feeling on the subject of maltreatment might be very true given the evidence.

At the same time as they left the hospital, they'd cross path with a maintenance worker, who informed them that all the damage from the freak occurrence was very mild in reality. Three broken med cabinets and a few clocks and lights in need of new wiring all it was blamed on a short-circuited. Still, Yugi couldn't just brush off the nagging feeling that this minor incident had been a result of Yami being petrified.

"Yugi! Yugi! Are you done in there? Come on there two other people in need of the room! C'mon on! I really need to go!" called Grandpa through the mahogany door.

Yugi snapped out of his daydream and now realized the hot water was all but gone. Turning off the water he called out "I'll be out in five, Grandpa!"

"Please hurry my bladder isn't what it used to be!"

"Grandpa that TMI!" he retorted as he dried off his hair quickly. In five seconds he had all his trademark clothes on and turned off the heater and put back under the towel rack. Then opened the door and saw his grandpa waiting impatiently in his polka dot night clothes.

"Gomenasai about that, Grandpa. I didn't realize how much time had gone by. I'll go get us some donuts from the corner store ok?" he told him with a smile as he hurried off.

Grandpa just smiled for a moment then slammed the door shut. The loud bang awoke Yami who fell on his head. "Ahh Ow! That's smarts!" Yawing he looked at his Dark Magician Alarm Clock and it said it was 7:00 am. Hearing that the only bathroom was occupied at the moment, he went over too his computer and moved the mouse. The dark screen changed to a background of him and Yugi playing Duel Monsters.

Tea had used some kind of magic flash box thingamabob that held the power to forever preserve a moment in time of whatever it caught in its light. She had called it a 'digital camera." He moved the mouse over too a little icon that looked like his Puzzle and doubles clicked it. It asked for a clearance name and password. He typed in for name "Prince Atem" and for password he chose "Samira" his mom name. This opened his journal which had been Yugi's idea.

"Listen Yami, I've got an idea that will help you a lot! Sometimes if I can't talk about something that is bothering me or I'm too scared too, I write it down. So at least it's out of me. Furthermore, I can share it later if and when I feel comfortable enough too. So since book journal are always found and read we'll put it on your computer ok?"

This had helped him as had this miracle of a device called an I-Pod. He realized as long as he was hearing the music he was in enough of a relaxed state that he had a better grip on his Ascending. He'd quickly realized the more stressed out he was when the bouts of Ascending came along, the more chaotic their effects on his environment would be. So if he was in a relaxed state he'd control how the magical flare-up came out to a degree. It wasn't a perfect plan but at least it was good enough for now. Despite the fact that he had barely managed to tone down the energy yesterday in time before a repeat of what happened at school, he was still extremely confident in his strategy in dealing with this "growing pain" was still be the most effective.

There was still that new feeling that had consumed him so badly the day before. This new feeling was more powerful then any of the others he had experienced so far. It worried him a great deal of what would happen if he was caught again off guard when this feeling came. He typed a bit in his journal while listening to his Gath Brooks Greatest Hits.

He was to a great extent loving the sixth song "We Shall Be Free" on disk one. After a few more minutes of typing his private's thoughts on his confusing feeling, strange dreams, and just thoughts for the day he signed out. Then he went to go check his email. He is email address was "Thenamelesspharaoh and his password here was "Yugi Moto" he deletes junk mail and looked at the remarks to his own on Youtube and few other things before Grandpa was at last out of the bathroom. Scooping up his clothes and the CD player with a new CD he ran into the bathroom with Grandpa yelling at him as he whizzed by that there was no hotter water.

After locking the door securely he undressed and took off the harness and stretched his wings. He then plugged in the CD in next to the sink and waving his hand over it reinstated the spell that made the wonderful music box unable to be affected by water or anything while he was under the soothing cascading of a self-made waterfall of pleasure. Turning on the CD player and stepping in the shower the song "Two Worlds One Family" on the Tarzan Soundtrack played. Smiling he turned on the shower and yes there was no hot water, but he just pressed his hand against the wall and used a tiny bit of his new powers to heat the water to the perfect temperature.

It had been amazing him how so much of Earth music could just describe him so completely. Even this wonderful music being sung by a god of music Phil Collins was blowing his mind. How the man voice and words seemed to be talking about him. He loved the third song "Son of Man" best on the CD. He skipped "Trashing the camp" by batting his left eye so he could get to number 5" Strangers like Me" By the time he was done in the shower it was at six a little reprise of the opening song, "Every moment now the bond grows stronger. Two worlds one family. Trust your heart let fate decide to guide these lives we see!"

He skipped seven and listened to eight "I'll be in your heart" and nine "Two Worlds One Family" for a second time as he dried off and put back on the harness and did the rest of things he had become accustomed too in the bathroom each morning. He put the player back in his room and went to the kitchen to see what was for breakfast.

"Hey, Yami! How did you sleep last night?" asked Yugi as he entered the kitchen with a bright orange, pink and white box. The words "Dunkin' Donuts" adore the top. Grandpa placed three homemade fruit smoothies on the table with some napkins to go with whatever was in the box.

"I slept very well Little One. I wrote the contents of my dream within the sanctuary of that supernatural journal you helped me create. Tell me what are having for breakfast today?"

"Doughnuts! I've got a variety package. We've glaze, jelly, sugar, donut holes, and long johns. Dig in!" as the three spiked hair men dug in happily too wonderful treat. Yami was about to go for his third long john when an overwhelming sensation took him by surprise. For a few moments, his whole body tingling like it had fallen asleep and then a consuming emotion that felt as if the forget-me-not azure heavens had been overshadowed by ominous black clouds. His head then began too hurt badly as well.

"Would you excuse me for a moment? I'm going to go take something for this migraine," politely excusing himself. He went to his room and took from his desk a small capsule container. Despite the fact that the music did help him significantly manage his Ascending, it didn't, on the other hand, prevent the excruciating headaches that came with it or the agonizing random spasms of pain either. Then he had made a great discover called a drugstore.

During the long weekend when he first implicated this plan into action on how to handle his Ascending predicament, he had learned about things called painkillers. He had just finished burning some of his extra energy off by means of using it too magical absorb the contents of the "Pop Culture" that the gang had been exposing him too. Then without warning, Grandpa's back had gone out and he had asked the boys to got to the drugstore and fetch something for it.

So they went to a nearby Walgreens and while Yugi was having a discussion with an older man named Lyle about the problem, he had wandered off a bit and found out about the weird yet wonderful magical capsule human used to deaden their internal qualms of pain. Making sure no one was looking he used his magic to make copies of the pills and the fused all the strongest ones together into one super potent painkiller. By the time Yugi was done he had in his pocket his own medicine.

The pill was as big as his thumbnail was gold and glowing. Using a nonverbal spell to enhance its power he swallowed it with the rest of his succulent smoothie. He instantaneously felt the pain subside and with his I-Pod on he felt very on top of things. Yet the feeling like the skies had been cast over by evil hadn't vanished. He looked out his window and there wasn't a cloud at all. Yet he still felt like a storm was brewing.

He went back to finish his breakfast yet, he knew without a doubt, in his gut that something really bad was about to come to pass. The only question was would he be able to handle whatever this thing was?

Around ten Joey and Tristan came to the shop. Both looked very happy about something but Joey also seemed a bit agitated with Tristan as well. Yami had been cleaning the card display case while listening to "Who I am" by Jessica Andrew when they came in. He turned down the music and removed his gloves.

"Hey Joey, Tristan. What brings you to the shop today? Do you want me to go fetch Yugi? He is the back with Grandpa unloading a new shipment of cards we got last night."

"Nay we can wait a few minutes for the little dude," Joey replied as he scanned the card cases.

"So Yami, we heard you caused quite a scene at the hospital yesterday. What's that about? You scared of doctors or needles or something?" inquired Tristan as Yami scrubbed the containers squeaky clean.

"No, I'm not scared of doctors. For you're information I've never been sick a day of my 17 years of existence," he told them at the same time as he used both the glass cleaner along with disinfected to get a really hard stain out. Someone had spilled something sticky on this counter and it wasn't coming off easily. He really had too used some elbow grease to get this out.

"You've never been sick ever? You've never had the flu or a measly cold? Not even the chickenpox?" Joey looked at him in shock. Yami looked him straight in the eye and said quite firmly,

"I've never been sick ever. I've been sick as many times as Yugi has had homework and he told me he never had homework a day in his life. (Me personal I went to my whole school life and never had homework! ) So does that answer your inquiry about my health?"

The teenage boys looked at the boy before them bizarrely then just when it was getting too quite Yugi walked in with a few big boxes of cards. "Hey, guys! When you get here?" Yugi cheerfully asked as they all took a box and began to work together to stock the shelves.

"Thanks for the help guys. So what brings you here today anyway?" Yugi asked as he finished up.

"Well, my sister Serenity is arriving in town today. She'll be spending a couple of weeks with me while our mother goes off on this retreat thing for her work. We wanted to know if you want to come with us to the bus depot to pick her up. How about it?" Joey asked them.

"I didn't know you had a sibling Joey. This is a new one for me. What does Serenity look like?" Yami asked curiously so Joey flipped open his wallet and showed him a photograph of a very sweet looking young lady with lengthy sunburned locks and big sparkling chocolate eyes.

"I'd love to come guys, but I'm needed here today at the shop. Why don't you go with them Yami? You really could use the experience and you'd meet Serenity. After all, you've stuck pretty close to the shop for the past three weeks. Go on and expand your horizon. I'll be here when you get back,"

"You sure you're gonna be safe Yugi? I've had this weird feeling all morning and it's not going away."

"You're probably just having few digestive disorders from yesterday school lunch, dude. I know that the school ham always makes me sick after I've had it,"

"Maybe dude that because you eat like an overweight swine and fail to remember to breathe!" mutter Tristan sarcastically under his breath.

"Yami I promise I'll be ok and I'm just a phone call away ok? Please go with them alright? I'll have a special lunch ready when you guys get back ok?" he told him soothingly with a warm small.

"Alright if it will make you happy, my friend. I shall go on this quest to fetch this Maiden of Serenity. C'mon Joey let's embark upon this quest for your sister,"

As they the trio disappeared around the corner Yugi looked up to the sky and whispered, "Please be safe Yami, I feel the storm brewing as well,"

Meanwhile far away in Doom Alleyway a bolt of gold energy pierced the ground and with a sound that could have been mistaken for a sonic boom appeared the Guardians. They all for a few moments had a feeling similar to that of vertigo from the excursion.

"Wow, that was freaky! I felt so odd by that spell. Like I was turned inside and upside down and thrown in a giant underwater funnel!" exclaimed Mana who still looked a tad green around the gills.

"I too Mana, felt extraordinarily uncomfortable by that practicably spell. It reminded me of how I'd felt during the first stage of Ascending. Your internal organs are all entangled up and it feels like a human meat grinder as your entrails rapidly transform to accommodate your new powers," Isis told her daughter understandingly.

"Yeah, and it always comes out of the blue. The symptoms of Ascending always make themselves known 3-4 months prior to your 18th birthday. On the other hand just exactly when your Ascending will actually commence is unpredictable. For it's different for everyone when and how it will make itself known. When my Ascending made its self know I had been doing some scroll work and out of the blue, my stomach became a sea of acid. Needlessly to say, Mana if Atem has hit his Ascending it must really be causing him problems,"

"Could you all please be silent for a moment? I'm attempting to use my Ring to track the Prince's Puzzle. Isis, could you use your Necklace and see if it reveals what happened at this location?"

"Yes, Mahado I can do that,"

"Thank you Isisa,"

"Do you require some help Mama?" asked Mana and then blushed as pink as the color of her chemise.

Isis just smiled and took her daughter's hand and lead to the very spot Atem had been when he had experienced his first emotion, anger.

"Ok, my little magician while your father and his best friend try of located Atem we are going to try and figure out what happens here ok?"

"Yes, Mama. How do we do that? We've very limited magic with these harnesses on. We where told not use the magic in the enchanted rings unless for emergency reasons. So how can we see what happened?" Mana asked her curiously.

"Well, not all things require magic. Take a good look around what do you see?"

Mana slowly looked around the dank cramped alleyway. The faded graffiti told her that someone had claimed this as their land in the name of their lord and master. The unsanitary condition revealed this wasn't a very often occupied place. But it was magical scorch marks with a few lingers sparks that told her something had happened in this creepy spot to Atem. Something very significant given the leftover damage from the incident.

"From what I can see Atem must've been here, but this isn't a very friendly spot. I sorta feel this isn't a place you should be at all. Like there a danger here and it's connected to that eerie emblem on the wall," Mana told her mom who was impressed at her skills at deduction.

"Good job of using your head and not your magic, daughter. Now let's see what did take place. My Item shows not just the future it shows the past as well. Let's see if it can show us what happened," as she touched her charming Item and active its powers. After a few moments, Seto came up to her and asked had she'd been successful.

"No, my friend I've not been. All I saw within my mind-eyes was a very blurry gray image. I couldn't see what took place all I could sense clearly in the vision was something caused the Prince to experience a rather intense emotion. He got angry,"

"Atem? My cousin? Got angry?" Seto stated out loud his shock; he was very taken back by the statement. Isis nodded and the three of them all knew the great significance of this.

Atem was almost certainly the numbest individual they knew. It was like his emotions as well as feelings had been surgically removed from him due to his usual lifelessness demeanor. So something really significant must have happened to get him to feel anything at all. Given this amount of damage, it must've been extraordinarily significant.

"Eureka!" Mahad exclaimed out loud making everyone jump. "What is Mahado?" Isis asked him as she hurried to her beloved side.

"Yeah, Daddy did your Ring find out where Prince Atem is?"

"Not exactly sweetheart, it hasn't found his exact position but it has picked up the Puzzle's unique energy signature. So it can at least point us in the right direction. So we should get going,"

"I don't mean to burst your bubble my friend, but we have to resolve a few other things before we can even start looking for my cousin. Like how we're going to blend in, where we'll be staying and how are we to survive?"

"Seto brings up a good point, Daddy. We know little to nothing about this world or its people. We can't attract too much attention to ourselves if we want this mission to be fruitful."

"Mahado their both right. Despite King Aknamkanon racial discrimination towards this world and its people, we can't do anything that would cause danger to them. We've all agreed the best approach to resolve this predicament is too progressively ease Atem too come home on his own free will. Further hostilities will only make this worse. I don't desire to see anyone on this planet get hurt unintentionally for the reason that we are seeking our Prince," Isis told her lover.

"I do understand Isisa. I do. This world is blissfully clueless and it should remain that way. So Seto what can be done to fix our problems? Whether the King likes it or not this task will take some time to complete," Mahad asked his dear companion.

"My father prides that my Rod has the ability to influence the minds of other individuals. He drools over the fact I could if I desired to control the minds of everyone too do my bidding. I don't wish to do that with my Item, however, I can use it if we got close enough to a group of humans and scan their minds to obtain the information we require. They have a slight headache but no real harm would be done."

"Make it so"

So they then exited the alley oblivious that someone was watching them from the inky shadows with a serial killer look in their eyes. With sinister sneer etched upon the silhouette figure face, they pulled off a Cheshire Cat act and little by little disappeared. The last thing to go was that disturbing sneer.

Seto was able to get the info they need and they split into two groups. Seto along with Isis would go forth and establish a place for all of them too stay and live at while on Earth. Mahad, as well as Mana, would seek out Atem just too see if he was ok. They would keep in contact through the mental magical link of their Immortal Items. So they each went a different direction.

On top of a nearby skyscraper standing on tiptoes of the stone gargoyles were the Vixens. Their catlike eyes were narrowed as they gaze at one of the quarries break off.

"What do you think my sisters?" said one preached on the left gargoyle.

"Well I think my dear sister; one of us should keep an eye on the Cyclops's putrid spawn along with that pathetic soothsayer. One of us stalker him and the other two go after that idiotic mage and his waste of time and wings neophyte," said the one on the right sadistically to her sisters.

"Let's not be too hasty, my sisters. I too would like to embark on this hunt. On the other hand, like the beauty queens of the African Savanna, the almighty proud as well as stunning lionesses, we must work strategize in addition to swiftly if we are to bring down a raging wildebeest. So Oba, Pomona here what we are going to do." Shakti told her sisters in a very low voice.

After a few minutes, they got ready to go out for the hunt. Pomona on the right sarcastically asked, "Oh dear sisters what on earth are we going to do if the humans get in the way of our goal?"

"Yeah what if the weak and helpless little runts get in the way?" Oba asked in the same cynical sarcasm as her sister.

"Then the end up like this ugly statue," replied Shakti calmly as she ran a single finger around the neck of the gargoyle. A second later the stone beast head fell 75 stories and smashed to dust on the pavement nearly smashing a young pregnant couple to death. Laughing insanely Oba and Pomona named for a goddess of water and earth speed off after Seto and Isis. Shakti named for the goddess of time and destruction went after Mahad and Mana.

Meanwhile, while both search parties where beginning there search for him, Yami had been very busy with learning some vital skills from his two new friends. Joey was tutoring him in the ways of survival in the real world. At least that what he'd called it, teaching him about the dos and don'ts of the streets. This program of study incorporated, public transportation, the buying of things, a few good self-defense moves, just simple basic things he should already know but didn't and was thankful for learning of them.

Tristan was schooling him in the art of social skills, body language, and manners. Like holding doors opening, giving compliments, doing things because they needed to be done. How too recognize others feelings and help them.

He was attempting too put them all into play when they had stopped at a store to get a few things. It was right next door to the bus station so they needed to be concerned about missing Serenity. Joey was trying too chose a crystal statuette in addition to Tristan was getting some flowers for Serenity.

Yami had just held the door open for an elderly woman and smiled when she thanked him. He, in turn, replied in full sincerity "You're welcome and your blouse is the nicest shade of ginger I've ever seen, it brings out your eyes so well, milady."

"Your too kind, young man,"

"I try to be," glad he had really learned both the lessons Joey and Tristan had taught them on the long walk here. Wanting to show he was appreciative for the lessons and they are helping him; he had shared with them a bit more info about himself.

The gang had all been wondering how if he was so smart he could be so naïve about everyday life. Showing that he trusted them he revealed to them when he was very young and his mom had died he was very troubled and upset. His dad, Yami told them wouldn't tell him what happen to his mom and wasn't very kind to him and his needs. So after a few months of her being gone, he wanted to disappear as well. He couldn't deal with his dad lack of sympathy and no one really seemed to be able to help him.

"Story of my life, me unable to help myself or anyone help me. I went to our library which is very, very large."

"How big we talking?" Joey had asked at the same time as he showed him how to ride the subway.

"You've seen both "National Treasure and Day after Tomorrow, correct Joey? Well if you combined both of those libraries together, mine would still be a thousand times bigger," he paused for a moment at their odd look and continued, "The Archives was the one place I could go within my home and not be found. To be alone, yet it was also a bit scary for its extremely shadowy in addition to inharmoniously soundless location. I got lost amongst the thousands of tomes in addition to manuscripts kept within the chamber the first time I went there. I'd probably still be lost if Shimon hadn't found me,"

"Who is Shimon dude? What an odd name too say the least," remarked Tristan after he returned a lady purse too her.

"Shimon is an elderly man whom now that I think of it, he reminds me of a great deal of Grandpa. They could be twins. He was extremely compassionately too me. He told me stories, read and played with me. He was a great comfier too me and got me learning early. I liked our time together very much," smiling a rare smile as he thought back to his childhood for a moment. He saw himself as a child half asleep with his head resting on Shimon lap as he was being read a breathtaking myth.

"Then about the time I was 8, Father found out I had been going to the Archive. He became enraged by the news and forbidden me to go there or interact with Shimon ever again. I wasn't allowed to see the kind soul until his punishment was through or I was 18, whichever came first. I don't understand what my Father has against him, but its wise not anger him in any matter,"

As the guys were busy with there things, he felt some money in his jeans pocket and decide to get them both something to show his thanks for helping him. He saw a candy rack with huge Crunch and Hershey bars, big as his computer screen back at the shop. He went to get them when he felt that weird and wonderful feeling come again. He also felt a tingling sensation go up and down his whole spine. He looked everywhere but didn't see anyone. Then out of the corner of his right eye in the huge mirror, he saw two new people had come into the gift shop. Even in normal human clothing, he recognized Mahad and Mana.

His heart began to pound like a drum of thunder. He tried to obscure himself behind a snack cake rack. The familiar sensation of his Ascending was making itself known. "Damn it! I can't expel the energy here, not with Mahad and Mana only 4 feet away! Think Yami think!" as he tried to remain calm.

Without thinking about he turned up the volume on the song, "Numb". Taking a deep breath he tried to focus his energy in a non-destructive manner. Placing his hand on the wall, he focused his energy. Instead of his powers wreaking havoc they'd the exact opposite. Any of the problems that the customers or staff where having were immediately resolved as was any problem in the building. Also now the place was beyond spick and span as his energy rippled through the store like when you threw a stone in a pond.

Smiling that he had really controlled the energy he managed, to avoid Mahad and Mana along with pay for the candy and get out without being caught he hurried over too the bus depot and waited by the vending machines for the guys which were there in moments. They thanked him for the candy and went too waited for the bus, 14 to get there.

Yami was a bit drained so he waited on a bench and in next to no time was dead to the world. The song "Numb" was on repeat and as he slept a very morbid dream overpowered his mind. In his mind, he was seeing his own life being interpreted by the words and he wasn't like how it was playing out. As the song was ending he felt someone shake him.

"Huh? Joey!"

"Hey, I wanted you to meet my sister. She just got off the bus. Serenity this is Yami he new in town. He staying with Yugi for awhile," Joey enlightened Serenity.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yami," she said in a charming angelic tone of voice that seemed to mimic her name.

"It's a great honor to meet the charismatic sister of such a fine young man whom I'm proud to call my friend. I hope we can be friends as well," he said as gently kissed her hand as Tristan had instructed him to do. She giggled with a faint blush.

"Hey, big brother? Do you know where the ladies room is? 8 hours on a bus and no bathroom isn't good."

"I'll show you the way. I need to use it too," Yami told her as he leads her to the bathrooms. Leaving her pink rolling suitcase outside with her brother she disappeared inside. Yami went inside and was shocked that Mahad was waiting for him.

"Mahad!" he exclaimed startled as he fell over a trash can and on too the filthy floor.

"Relax, Atem," he said as his Item glowed faintly. A faint sparkle light enveloped the tiny public bathroom. Mahad then helped the Prince to his feet and dusted him off.

"Thanks, Mahad, now what did you just do?"

"The same thing I did when I gave you the information on that brain-dead Serafina. Anyone who sees us will only see two young men having a chew the fat regarding competition on something called TV last night. So how are you, my Prince?"

"I'm doing very well. Thank you for asking. Now, why don't you drop the facade of bogus concern and just tell me the truth as if I didn't already know it."

"Prince Atem, I am concerned for you, because I do care for you. You're not just my future king too me. You're a friend and someone my daughter cares about a great deal,"

"Daughter? So I was right about how you felt about Mana and I suppose Isis also sees her as her daughter as well?" he asked with his eyes half closed and an eyebrow cocked and arms folded.

"Isisa and I both see Mana as our child yes. Look you're right your father has sent me, Isisa, Mana and your cousin too bring you home. However, unlike Aknamkanon we aren't gonna try and force you to go back against your wishes. We the Court minus your Uncle all have the same opinion; you ought to come back on your own free will,"

"I see, then why are here now? Why where you in the gift shop?"

"While Isisa and Seto have gone too establish a place for us to stay while here on Earth, Mana and I sought you out. We didn't wish to start a confutation because we strongly suspected you've by now begun to Ascend, am I right?"

The mere mention of the curse word, for his divine puberty, made his whole body hurt all over. He pulled out his pill container and swallowed a pill to dull the feeling thus confirming Mahad statement. "Yes I've begun to Ascend but I've found my own way to deal with it,"

"Look Atem, none of us are going to try and force you back to Xanadu. All I wanted to do was find you and see if you're ok. I'm not gonna follow back too where your staying nor is anyone going to harm any of the humans you've befriended. We'll keep our distance and if we do interact it will be in the neutral ground and no harm will befall any of the humans. Just tell me are you ok?"

For a few moments the winged prince who for three weeks been masquerade as a human was silent. That out of the ordinary ominous cloud sensation was still in the pit of his stomach.

On the other hand when he looked at Mahad that wasn't what he felt. He felt like he was in a meadow under a summer sky, calm along with at peace. He knew Mahad long and well enough, to know that he wouldn't lie in less it was to protect those he cared about. He had noticed the faint trace of his father's sinister handiwork with his new power echelon and was able to deduce for himself what had passed.

"Mahad, I'm alright. I've found safe refuge with a real angel. I won't give any names. But I will at least tell you for the moment I'm safe and well. I believe you when you say you won't engage in a sadistic manner to bring me back to Xanadu."

"I can tell you must leave soon. Can we at least promise this too each other? My family along with Seto won't harm you or anyone but in turn, you must at least keep us informed on your condition. We can meet as I suggest on neutral ground."

"Mahad I trust you, my friend. Gomenasai for having to take that cursed punishment because of me," he told him with his guilty head hung low.

"Prince Atem, don't be consumed by guilt. I'd willingly endure that and a thousand other punishments too keep out of harm's way the ones I care about. Don't trouble yourself, Prince. I'm not angry with you. So do you agree to the terms?"

"I agree with Mahad but we'll meet each night at a different location chosen ahead of time and no magic or tricks. You swear no harm shall come to any one of my human friends?"

"None I give you my word of honor Prince Atem. Now go back to your friends we've spent a lot of time in this room. Just be careful especially now that you've begun too Ascended,"

"I will Mahad. I promise to honor your terms. We'll meet tonight in the park on the bridge overlooking the koi pond agreed?"

"Agreed Prince Atem," as he got ready to drop the false impression, "Mahad wait,"

"Yes, Prince Atem?"

"Look I won't feel right unless I brought this up. I've been experiencing since first light a sensation, which I can only portray as heavy gray clouds choking the life out of the stunning azure heavens. I don't know what it is exactly, but I just got this feeling that something sinister is afoot. So for your family sake and Seto along with mine, watch yourself and not just me. I don't desire anyone to get hurt," he warned his old friend.

"Thank you, I'll keep it in mind. See you at midnight at the park," as the illusion died away and they exit the restroom. Mahad departed with Mana and Yami knew he keeps his word and not follow him back the game shop.

He departed as well with his friends to get to the subway to take back to the game shop. But he couldn't shake the feeling something evil was watching him. Watching like he was a rat with her feline eyes was Shakti. She had been in the gift shop trying out perfumes. Now she had found the one she liked and she had spotted her prey.

"Well finally," she said as she stuffed the gold bottle in her pocket and was just out the door when the owner came running after her. "Hey, girl! You need to pay for that! You can't just take off and not pay!" he said grabbing her hand and her to face him.

"Excuse me, you fleshy bastard!" and with the strength of Amazon warrior threw the poor man right through the glass window. Then using telekinesis combined with spontaneous combustion and caused a gas explosion. As a chunk of concert landed at her dainty feet, she smiled sadistically. With a few squirts of her new fragrance, she was off on her hunt.

Yami who had just gotten to the subway station head shot up. It was like he was hearing the screams of many be forever silenced in one snuff as it a candle had been put out. He looked around and blinked and rubbed his eyes but what our eyes saw hadn't changed.

All the people surrounding him at this place had an aura. Many of the auras like those of his friends where a soothing pale blue, a few were them were a maroon color but only one was jet-black and felt colder then death. It was a young woman with tricolor locks. She was coming straight for him like he was a mouse and she was the cat.

Remember two things about the subway Joey had taught him when the woman tried to go through the metal decorator he focused his energy to make sure it went off very loudly. The big Security Guards were able to restrain her, just long enough for them too get on the train and then using an illusion trick he'd picked up from Mahad, she saw the wrong train with him on it. So she when she finally busted free, not only did she make the mistake of stepping on the third rail she was going the wrong way. By the time she had realized her error, he was long gone and the trail was cold.

The group made it back to the shop in time for a nice lunch of peanut butter saltine crackers and homemade chocolate pudding with chocolate milkshakes. After lunch Joey along with his sister and Tristan left. Serenity ran ahead of them eager to get home that Joey slipped on something as did Tristan. It was feathers, very odd feathers that had got stuck on their shoes.

Yami that night as promised showed up at the desired location to talk with Mahad. His new heighten powers didn't sense any of the ill-omened he felt around that wicked lady from the subway. He got prepared to utilize a can of pepper spray in case of trouble. It was very creepy being in the park alone at night. Still, he waited and at exactly midnight Mahad appeared. He showed that he had honored the agreement by not having any tricks up his sleeve.

They both exchange tales of their encounters and what been going on since he fled home. For a second time, Yami expresses regret to Mahad for having to suffer along with the rest of the Court because of his actions. He begged the Magician for him as well as everyone forgiveness for suffering because of him.

Mahad told him they'd suffer one way or another and it's not his fault. Mahad for a second time told him that he and the rest of his party would watch over Yami. They keep their distance only intervene if needed and just let him make up his own mind of coming home. If they did interact when he was with his human friends they won't do anything to endanger anyone life. If he kept his promise to talk to one of them each night and assure them he was alright they keep this plan in place.

"It's almost 1:00 a.m. I need to get back home, Mahad. The people I'm staying with will worry about me if I'm not in my bedroom,"

"I understand but one last question before you depart back to your place of refuge,"

"Yes?"

"We arrived in the same spot you did in this city. Isisa wasn't able too to figure out what took place in that alley. But she was able too to figure out you felt anger for the first time. So I'm curious Atem. What causes the numbest being in existence to experience such a powerful emotion?"

"If I tell you the truth it will remain a secret? You won't tell father or anyone?"

"I swear my Prince,"

"When I came to this place I was ambushed by thugs. They attempted to steal my Puzzle. They're merciless, viciously and ruthless. Then out of nowhere, a boy came. His name was Yugi and he risked his mortal life for me. Me! A complete stranger he risked his life for me and when I saw those beasts hurt him I felt like a fire had gone off. I used Mind Crush on them. Shortly afterward Yugi offered me shelter in addition to friendship. I didn't know anything about this young man other then he looks a lot like me but I knew I could trust him. So I've stayed with him and his grandpa. I won't tell you where for their safety you understand,"

"I do understand, Prince Atem. If you for any reason need to reach me or any one of us were staying at a place called Holiday Inn. Here a number I've made it impossible for anyone but you to reach us by that number," giving him a slip of paper which he pocket.

"One more thing, remember that strange feeling from before I mention?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"I think it was warning me of great danger. A woman today tried to unspeakable evil on my way home. I was listening to a song called "Bring me to Life" and I felt as if many voices forever silenced into oblivion and then my vision changed,"

"How so?"

"I could see auras around the humans though I didn't think they possessed them. Many had blue ones a scattered few were of a maroon color but only one that woman was black and colder then death. Do you know what this is or who she was?"

"I can answer your first inquiry by telling you've acquired the power of inner knowing. Meaning you can see what kind of a person is inside. As for the lady I don't know at all but Isisa and Seto both remarked they encountered two more just like the one you described. Look don't let this threat force you back to Xanadu. Only come back if that is your wish. Just be careful, Atem."

"You the same Mahad," as both men left going opposite ways but now both knew this. The one being hunted by the passive hunters was being hunted themselves by a deadlier beast. Who neither knew what exactly they were capable of?


	9. Red Roses and Puppy Love

Red Roses and Puppy Love"

Yugi had awoken once again from the dream of the singing star heart's song. It was late and his bladder had awoken him this time. The soft green digits in the alarm clock, shined vibrantly in the eerie darkness, reading 1:15 a.m. in its memorizing jade glow.

He was just leaving the bathroom when the door downstairs in the shop shut. Shrinking back in the shadows he grabbed the first thing he could to use as a weapon. It was the broken golden colored towel rack bar that was always falling off. He stayed very quiet as the intruder's steps ran up to the bedrooms.

He only started to breathe once more when he saw it was only Yami. He seemed to be trying to sneak into his room without arousing anyone like any normal teenager. Still, it begs the question what was he doing out this late at night on his own? Yugi waited for ten minutes to go by before going back to bed himself.

He stopped to glimpse at Yami who was currently dead to the world. He had changed back into his night clothes, although was shivering slightly because his window was adjured. Yugi quietly walked in and closed the window, however at the same time as he did, though he noticed someone or something watching him from across the street in the shadows.

He quickly shut the window and locked it tightly as well as the curtains. After that, he tucked Yami into bed with his Chiba Dark Magician cuddly toy he'd won out of Crain Game at a local arcade. Followed by doing something he didn't do very often. He made the sign of the cross across his chest in addition to begged God to keep out of harm's way this young man before him.

Outside the predators-like eyes glisten like dark demonic gems as they vanished. On top of what appeared to be an abandoned building, came the chatter of blissful young women. The top of this desolate decaying edifice had been transformed into a replica of Eden. Hot Springs, luxury fauna, scantly-clad hunky men in addition to magnificent music with the tastiest food ever was being severed to the Vixens. Pomona was having a full body massage while Oba was enjoying sitting in a hot spring having her lovely hair washed by a princeling youth who was chatting to her in French and going on how beautiful as well as breathtaking she was.

The dreamy atmosphere was charred to pieces when Shakti came storming in. Though pleased with the information obtained from her hunt, she wasn't pleased with that jackass prince little prank on her early on. When he tricked her into stepping on the third rail it did a little something more shocking then expected. Her lovely hair was singed and completely ruined right down to the root focal, not mention those brutes caused her to break her nails when they manhandle her at the metal detector.

"Slave! Fetch me a drink without delay! I want one that'd knock out Exoida in one sip! This instant you dolt!" Shakti screamed at the boy as she blasted him with an orb of electrical energy.

"Ugh! Males! If we didn't require them for procreation I strongly propose we get a virus and wipe them out altogether! I despise and loathe all who have testosterone running amok within them!" she pouted as she magical changed into a bikini and prepared for the ultimate spoiling in pampering.

"What'd the kid do to you? He causes your mascara to run?" inquired Oba as she took a long swing of tequila straight from the bottle.

"That son of a bitch destroyed my exquisite locks! It took me half the day to restore the damage that asshole did to me! I propose for the duration of this hunt we make that fucking upstart pay!"

"Yeah him along with the rest of our prey! When we were in pursuit of the Cyclops's own fucking upstart along with that slut of a soothsayer, Seto used his Rod to make some of the local fur balls assault us! One of those sordid walking carpets decided to urinate on me! Do you realize I'm on no account gonna get that beast fetid odor off my designer chinos?!" Pomona ranted as she drank her own wine to drown out the memory of the Pomeranian doing its business on her leg.

"You think the beasts that walk this planet are bad? There nothing compared to this world repulsive plant life! That eyesore of grass ruined my shoes! As soon as we tried to follow them, to where they chose, to hid, Isis had us run all the way through an assortment of different nauseating undergrowth! The stains and tear that those wicked weeds did are unforgivable!" Oba stated firmly.

"When we do achieve the dream of resurrecting Xanadu to is former glory and take Earth as the crown jewel of the King victory, let's make sure to enlighten him to launch a plague of the biggest as well as worst Divine Insects Beasts too devour the shrubbery and then we sent out the best Divine Beasts and Beings out too kill whatever remains of this cursed planet!" Shakti declared to them then with a demonic sneer said in a low voice as cold as Kaibutt heart. "Besides I got something we can toast too. I know where that son of bitch asshole prince is hiding. We can start to really break him and the others tomorrow at first light. But tonight my sisters we party! Bring in the strippers and another round of drinks slaves!" as they began to get their ya-yas out.

Mahad quietly closed the door too the hotel room shut. Rubbing his eyes from the exhaustion he felt he got ready to sleep. His movements awoke Isis from her slumber. She slowly slipped out of double bed and walk over too the tiny bathroom where her love was washing up.

"Hello, Mahado how did the rendezvous with Atem turn out?" she asked quietly to him. He turned to face her and blushed. Isis was wearing a long silk tangerine nightgown that fit her very well. Even with her wings restrained she was very angelic in the pale silver moonlight mixed with the soft glow of the lights. For a few moments, he couldn't speak or think as he was a captive of her beauty.

Isis herself felt her cheeks go red in the face somewhat. This was the first time she had witnessed Mahado without his shirt on and he had a very nice body. It has been so long since she had seen his long brunette locks, they seemed to be a cascading waterfall of chocolate.

After a few more out of your depth moments, they snapped out their funk and got back to business. "Um, I'll be out in a moment ok, Isisa?"

"Ok, I'll wait."

A few moments later he came out dressed in light lavender pajamas. He paused for a moment to gaze at Mana who was sound asleep in the second bed. They could only even with what little magic they had available to them afforded this one room. They had with them a few rare jewels as intended payment for their stay at this human public house. So Seto and Mana end up in one bed and Isisa and him in the other.

It was a modest medium sized room. It had a walk-in closet, wardrobe, bathroom, mini fridge, TV, two beds, and a balcony since they're on the 8th floor. The color scheme was very nice and soothing tones relax them best it could. Still, they all were a bit on edge by these women. This unforeseen development only meant one thing. That the King didn't trust them enough to do their duty so he sent someone too watch them and get the job done if they failed.

Isis was sitting on the edge of the bed waiting and brushing her long raven hair. Mahad knew she did this when she was worried and he was worried. Still, he sat next to her and began to brush her hair for her. "Isisa, before I tell you the answer to your question, tell me how is Mana holding up? She seemed a bit shaken by the news of these strange women,"

"She is alright for now, Mahado. I took her to the pool down below and the water soothed her mind and I must say she looks much better. She still very weak from being forced to burn the candle at both ends but she is getting healthier if at a snail's pace. Seto incases your curious is alright as well. He used his Rod's power before we came in. He cast a permanent spell so that the Rod is constantly scanning for the malevolent mental energy of those Vixens. He was able to get that name from one of them as we're pursed. I think this may've been a word of warning. We best be on our guard and hope we can do this cursed duty,"

"Atem best be on his guard then. He kept his word and met me in the human public gardens or as he called it a park. He says he made friends real friends. He stays with a boy named Yugi, the only thing he revealed about this boy was that he could pass a mini twin of his. I also know why Prince Atem felt anger for the first time,"

"Care to share this reason with me?"

"No, I vowed I won't tell why he got angry. Not too anyone,"

"Is he at least safe and sound and out of harm's way?"

"Yes, he assured me he is in safe hands. He has begun to Ascend. Like with all of us it took him by complete surprise. I fear with his usual state of being without any kind sensation Ascending is more difficult for him due to his lack of experience with emotions. He told me he devised a way to help him through this. I gave him the number that he can reach us and I promised him that we wouldn't force him or endanger the lives of the humans he befriends. We let him make up his own mind to come home,"

"That is all we can do, Mahado. We can't force someone to do something they don't wish to do. The more trauma in addition to lack of sympathy, the more he not gonna want to come back. If the King can't understand this simple concept then we're condemned,"

"Also, Isisa the more we do add to this already nerve-racking predicament its not gonna help him, it's only going to make Ascending even more difficult to go all the way through furthermore we'd wind up hurting innocent lives if we provoke him too much,"

"It's late we need to sleep or we're not going to be able to resolve this crisis. We ourselves don't need to do additional harm too ourselves,"

For a moment it looked as if they were going to kiss but they didn't. They merely turned off the bedside light and placed a huge pillow between them for fear that they're being spied on.

Yami was dreaming of Yugi all over again. It was the same dream from before; in fact, he had this dream every night since meeting Yugi. It started out happy and blissfully and he felt so alive and happy with Yugi in his arms. Their hearts were beating until the two different heart's songs made one beautiful new one. At that moment the beautiful dream had reached its zenith of happiness the ugly nightmare enter by force and in next to no time he lost Yugi all over again. He cried out in anguish as the dream ended and he awoke to the golden sunbeams.

His I-pod was gone but a song was playing on the radio, it was "Dreaming of you," The door to his bedroom slowly came open and there stood Yugi. He was carrying a serving dish jam-packed of succulent food as well as a vase full of flowers. He walked over to Yami and set the tray over his lap and sat at the end of the bed. "I made you breakfast in bed. Please take pleasure in it," he said with a grin.

Yami looked at the breakfast and was confused by the gesture of kindness. "Yugi, I'm flattered but why did you do this? Is there some special occasion I don't know about?"

"Sometimes, Yami, people do things for no other reason then that they care. They're putting others needs before their own and just being nice, thoughtful and caring. You don't need a special reason to be nice. You'd be nice on a daily basis,"

He looked at the food which consisted of, scrambled eggs, sausages, hash browns, toast, blueberry muffins, pancakes, and orange juice. The song "All you wanted" played on the radio and he asked kindheartedly, "Would you like to have some? You made more then I can eat alone. Let's have breakfast in bed together Little One. C'mon get under here with me!"

In next to no time the two were enjoying a very nice breakfast. Solomon passed the door and smiled at the spectacle. He hadn't seen his grandson this happy before. As he walked to the kitchen to have his morning tea, he also took a stroll down memory lane.

Yugi had always been such a pure soul with a heart of gold and didn't seem to be capable to hate anyone. On the other hand, he had been for a very long time without a friend in the world in addition to miserable. With his parents Sho and Ashita Moto continuously in a foreign country and not being able to hear or see them frequently, it hurt him. He didn't ask his dad to get a desk job being too kindhearted as well as not wanting his dad dreams too be taken from him. He'd been mocked a great deal due to both his appearance as well as size. It wasn't till recently that he had gotten friends, yet Solomon had still felt an important part to his young grandson heart was still missing and now he felt Yami had filled that part. What's more, it appeared that Yami needed Yugi in the same manner.

"Well that was fun, but it's already 7 and we both need to get dressed. So if you go to your room and change I can get dressed,"

"Ok Yami, uh one question. Last night about a quarter past one I had just gone to the bathroom and I heard the door shut. I thought we might have got an intruder but it was only you. Yami what where doing out so late last night for?" inquired Yugi inquisitively to his friend.

"I was having trouble sleeping last night. So I went for a walk around the block. I thought the cool crisp night air would do me some good. Gomenasai if I scared you last night. That wasn't my intention. I just need some fresh air is all,"

"Ok I was just curious is all. Yami I do care about you, a lot. I don't want anything to happen to you. I don't know if I could live with knowing that someone I loved was hurt or endanger," he told him with a tear roll down his cheek.

"Yugi, what is that raindrop on your face for?"

"It's nothing more then a teardrop. I just if truth be told care a lot about my friends as well as family, and like I said I don't wish for them get hurt. Well, I'll run these to the kitchen sink and meet you in the living room ok?"

"Kay,"

He started to get dressed when the slip of paper with the phone number Mahad, had, given him last night fell to his feet. It was an anagram, it read "9YU29GI01OH61006" taken his Dark Magician Cell Phone out he added the number to his speed dial. (A picture goes to anyone who can figure the significance of that practically set of numbers and letters!)

He got his medicine, I-pod, cell phone, and deck then departed to the living room. Yugi was already there and was trying too chose a DVD for them to watch, taking into consideration there wasn't anything good on Sunday mornings on TV. At last, too Yami surprise Yugi with a bit of embarrassment chose "Tristan & Isolde".

The cover read, "Before Romeo & Juliet there was Tristan & Isolde." This was apparently a love story. He had read a number of the Shakespeare Plays that their English Teacher Ms. Matha had in her book closet. She was right when she told him when one tries to read Shakespeare its impossible not to want to read it out loud being so good. So he knew what "Romeo and Juliet" was. So was this motion picture of a similar legend of a heartbreaking anecdote?

The movie starts with some narrating and as the story unfolded both of them became lost in the medieval tale of warfare, contractual obligation, honor, sacrifices, and forbidden love. The acting was amazing as was the landscapes and action were very well done. As the movie ended with Tristan death and Isolde who lived, they realized they'd at some point in the 125-minute movie intertwined their own hands. Both blush deep crimson and broke off the handheld.

"Uh," they both looked at each other with embarrassment. At what time they heard Grandpa calling for them downstairs. Apparently, they had a visitor, when they got down to the shop they saw it was Bakura. He was dressed in faded jeans and a mauve t-shirt with a gold unknown emblem on it. He also had with him a dog.

Despite the fact that Yami had been on this planet for nearly a month he'd never seen a dog before now. The dog was medium sized with ebony and golden caramel colored fur and the most eye-catching azure eyes he'd ever seen. It was wagging its tail happily and instantaneously ran over too Yami. Knocking the stuffing out of him as it began to lick his face happily.

"Misty! Misty! Come back here, girl!" Bakura commanded and the dog obeyed "Gomenasai about that. Every so often Misty can be a bit too friendly. She is such a marshmallow. So Yugi, I stopped by because you promised to be of assistance to me at the animal shelter this week. Did you not remember?"

Yugi lightly hit his head, "Yeah, I fail to remember. I'm still going to assist you. You want to come to Yami? It'd be a remarkable new experience for you. Chances too meet some new faces and see some more of the city," Yugi told Yami who was wiping the doggie drool off his dreamy face.

He weighed the dangers, those wicked ladies were still out there and he was still Ascending. But he couldn't just stay at the game shop not with such a magnificent as well as the mysterious world out there waiting to be seen. Besides he wasn't about to let Yugi out his sight with this threat his father sent.

"Ok let's cut and run!"

They quickly told Grandpa where they are, assuring him they both had their house keys and cells on them. Then they took off with Bakura to go to the Domino City Animal Shelter. As they raced happily too the shelter Yami had all sorts of questions about wildlife and Bakura did his best to answer them.

Everyone close to Yugi by now figured out that wherever on earth Yami was from, he had been extremely isolated from the rest of the world so he wasn't an update on things as one should be. So they had to be extremely patient with him.

Bakura to Yami had always appeared to be a bit introverted and not very loquacious soul, however, he seemed extremely social and full of things too say the more the talked about animals and Misty was with him. They walked a mile in the fresh cool air under the forget-me-not blue skies dotted with cottony white clouds.

"So dogs or canines were first domestic way back in the Stone Age. Their noses are so good they can identify one molecule of ascent in a million. That's why some dogs are used to detect everything from drugs to cancer cells. Dogs are great companions and help so many people in countless ways. There're so many breeds from dogs that yodel too dogs that look like they've got Jamaican dreadlocks,"

"So I guess dogs have truly earned their titles as man best friend. They seemed to be able too just about anything," Yami comment offhand.

"Well, actually Yami all animals are important to this planet. We all depend on each other and not just for food but to keep this planet alive. So many animals have been made extinct. Everything and everyone on this planet is connected whether they realize that or not. If one falls we all fall. Humans have done a lot more damage to their own planet and not many realize it,"

"I saw "Day after Tomorrow" I know that the human race seemed to greedily consume without really thinking about the long-term consequences of their actions and how they will affect all who dwell on this planet. So tell me more about the animals of this planet,"

"Well, Charles Darwin was a famous naturalist who established the theory of evolution. He spent a lot of time at the Galapagos Islands off the coast of South America. Jane Goodall is another famous animal naturalist who worked with chimps. Chimpanzee DNA is virtually identical to that of a human with only about two percent differences. A very important figure for animals of recent times that recently passed was Steve Irwin. A bit on the crazy side but did have the greatest passion of animals anyone has seen ever."

"If you really want too truly understand animals, I suggest sometime this week you go to the Domino City Wildlife Perseveration Persevere and really take in just how amazing our planet is and how important it is to protect it. That and watch Animal Planet. It's channel 49 just above Discovery Channel and below Nickelodeon. Oh, here we're," as they, at last, came to a large pale blue building with a chain link fence around it. They were countless dogs outside and from the barking, there were many more inside as well.

Like the cross, the gravel parking lot Yami notice across the street a huge building with a great assortment of flora. "Bakura what is that place across the street?"

"Oh that Domino City Botanical Gardens. They grow and protect plants from all over the world. Some go to pretty bouquets, others are there to be kept from being wiped out of existence and some are being used for medical as well as scientific research. C'mon along Chris gets madder then a pit-bull if people are late," Bakura told him as he unlocked the padlock and the trio hurried inside.

The building had perversely been a storage docking space but had been abandoned for some time. So about 10 years back it has been bought and converted into a shelter for strays. It was a non-profit faculty and depended on the contributions as well as the kindness of others too keeps it running. It was all volunteer work to help out. There were only three real 'rooms.' The tiny lobby that had a bed and a few cages in it with a tiny laundry room to the left. In front of them was a door with a lamented poster reading "Cat Room, Please enter and exist quickly and shut the door firmly," The window above the bed where the older dogs slept showed a room swarming with felines! It also was the only place with a bathroom inside this whole building. To the right was a huge main room that had been the storage dock space before. Now it was full of various cages as well as supplies and lead out back.

There were many different people performing countless tasks to help these wonderful creatures. A woman in her late 30's dressed in faded jean clothes came storming out of the main room. She was upset with something, which was unknown to the three young boys.

"Ugh! We seriously need to consider adding an obedience class to this place! That is the fourth time Gracie has tried to attack someone. Oh boy do, I need some aspirin," muttered the woman heatedly under her breath.

'Salutations, Chris, bad day?"

"Oh Bakura, nay it's just your usual mayhem. Who are these two?" asked his boss as she massaged her temples.

"These are my friends Yugi Moto and Yami. They agreed to help us this week because of Friday Open House. I put up all the promotional material I could along with paying the local radio stations twenty dollars each and put a notice in both the school paper and website to get as much attention as I could for it. I'm sure this time plenty of our animals will finally find there loving homes that they wanted to have for so long," he informed her proudly with a big grin.

"Let us hope so. Look we need the laundry started and folded, the new supplies organized as well as an inventory was taken, and cages, of course, need cleaning in addition to that several of the animals are in desperate need of baths and brushing. The Cat room is covered as is most of the outside. I've got go run to Save-a-lot too get some detergent and few others necessities. Can I count on you to hold down the fort till I get back?"

"Chris I've volunteered for over a year and a half and in all that time have I ever let you down?" he asked her.

"No, I'll be back as soon as possible," as she left and departed in her SUV. Watching from across the street and drinking a chocolate raspberry smoothie was Seto. He had a volunteer to keep tabs on his cousin today so Mahad with his family could try to have a bit of alone time.

They had come to a decision to go to a place human gathered to watch a special kind of performing art. It was called the movies and they had gone too see Blood and Chocolate" Something about a young Lycan female or werewolf dealing with some serious turmoil. Apparently, it was based off a novel.

So Seto was now following his cousin. He had picked up his trail six blocks back. He was in the company of his strange human look-alike and another male youth with long powder locks in the company of a dog. They had come too this safe haven for the beasts that lived on this planet.

He was debating whether or not to get closer. Mahad had established Atem had begun to Ascend but had figured a way to manage it. Still, he was very concerned with the matter of those Vixens. They hadn't been seen from the time when they made their hellish unveiling yesterday. Still, they made it clear that they're willing to slaughter anyone or obliterate anything that got in their way. He continued to watch in amazement as his cousin actually did manual labor and didn't complain. On the contrary, he seemed both proud and satisfied that he was actually doing the work himself and not using magic to get done for him.

He seemed to be filled with the intention of interrogating the white-haired youth in some manner. The boy in turn just was laughing as well as happily answering all the Prince's inquiries as they continue to work. Seto had to admit his cousin was no longer lifeless.

He pulled up the hood on his blue and gold sweatshirt and put on a pair of sunglasses. Then gave into the irresistible urge and dunked the empty plastic cup in a nearby trashcan. He pumped his fist in joyous euphoria and then caught himself. "I can't behave like a human," as he looked both ways then crossed the threshold of asphalt to the haven with animals.

At this time Yami was busy with brushing all the dogs they just bathed. Bakura had gone to take inventory and Yugi was cleansing all the food dishes and toys. So he was right now in the back corner brushing an older dog name Kudos whom Bakura told him was waiting for his days to end here. They didn't euthanize any of the animals here, they stayed there till they either where adopted or died. If they did breathe their last breath here, they were given an appropriate entombment.

As he brushes the old dog fur he confident with him his secrets. He told him all about his past, his father, the loss of his mom, his running away, and his feelings for Yugi. Then to his surprise just as he was telling Kudos about how he met Yugi the dog looked him straight in the eye and he heard a voice in his head, "Tell him how you feel!"

"Huh?" dropping the brush on the cold cement floor. It made a loud thud on impact. He looked everywhere but no one was in sight so where did the voice come from? Kudos picked up the brush with his teeth and placed it back in Yami's hands wagging his tail, the voice came again, "Behind the left ear please, don't look so shocked Prince Atem,"

He is purple eyes widen when he realized he had been so preoccupied with doing his job he didn't even feel a mild Ascending fluctuation. He now could hear the thoughts of any animal around him! Like yesterday when he gained the ability to tell what kind of heart a person had. He took a deep breath and one of his pills knowing with as many animals in the building he was gonna have a migraine without a doubt.

"So noble friend of man, care to tell me your stories?" he asked compassionately too the old German Sheppard. "If you give me and all in this room a treat, then yes. They're on the rolling cart in the big box with the blue lid,"

He quickly got up to fulfill the request when he was intercepted by Seto! He was shocked to see his cousin standing by cage 8 which two larger dogs named Nigel and Valentine shared. He seemed a bit amused by the fact that his face and clothes where filthy.

"Hello Atem, how you doing?"

"Shush! Call me Yami!" he told him in a panic.

"Why should I address you by anything other then your true name?"

"My name here is Yami ok! Now if you are going to be here at least help me fulfill Kudos request and give all the dogs a treat," he told him as he got a handful of dog biscuits out of the tub. Seto did as his cousin said and in a few minutes, each dog was happily munching on a tasty treat.

"So is this "Kudos" the young white haired boy I saw you come here with?"

"No that's Bakura. Kudos is this dog over here behind the filing cabinet," Atem told him as he showed him the dog.

"I'm guessing this has to do with your Ascending? You can hear the animals' thoughts?"

Turning up the song "Who let the dogs out?" on his I-pod "Yes, now Mahad gave his word of honor, you guys wouldn't force me to go home! Have I been deceived?"

'No you've not been deceived. Mahad with his family is doing something else. I've assumed the duty to keep an eye on you for the week. I wanted to find out where you wanted to meet tonight and do warn you've of the Vixens,"

"Vixens? Is that the name of those wicked ladies?"

Nodding, "I think your father wants to make sure there no margin for error. Look we're sticking to our arrangement. Make no mistake, we won't force you to come home, but keep your guard up for these Vixens. I'm transferring a spell to your Puzzle, which will at least alert you if they're within a limited to a small area. So where do you wish to meet tonight?"

"I will meet up with you at the Wildlife Preserve tonight at 11:30, ok? You best get out of here, I don't want to have to enlighten your presences to my friends,"

"Till tonight, cousin."

"Till tonight,"

Seto left just as Bakura came rushing out of the inventory closet. He seemed to be in a bit of a panic and looked like he was overheating and having trouble breathing. Yami watched in confusion as Bakura quickly scrubbed himself spotless and got Misty from her kennel. At exactly 4:30 a young girl came in carrying a pot full of beautiful flowers.

She was a lovely young lady. Short grass green curls that matched her almond-shaped eyes. Her lips were as red as rose and her skin were of an ivory tone. She seemed to be a very nice young woman.

"Hello Bakura, how are you today?" she asked him in a nightingale voice.

"I'm fine, Wakana. Thanks for asking," with a very faint hint of crimson in his pale cheeks.

"Oh here, Misty!"

Misty bubbly voiced her feelings to Yami, "She is like a magical garden angel! So sweet and kind! She must be Mother Nature daughter she so wonderful. She smells so sweet like a filed of dreamy flowers! Wakana is just so breathtaking just like Bakura he so charming!"

"Hello there, I don't' think we were properly introduced. I'm Yami," holding out his hand.

"Oh, gomenasai! I didn't see you! I'm Wakana Wynn. I work part-time across the street at the Gardens. I'm studying to become a botanist one day and I simply adore plants. I guess it comes from the fact my name means "plant," Are you related to Bakura's friend Yugi? Perhaps you're his older brother?"

"No, I'm not related to Yugi Moto. But I'm staying with him while I'm in this city. I came with Yugi to help Bakura prepare for the shelter Open House this Friday,"

"How very sweet of you Yami. Would you three like a tour of the Gardens? I love to share my passion for nature with as many people as I can,"

"Sure! We'll meet you outside in ten!"

"Great!" she beamed and left singing a gay little song to herself.

"Why did you go and do that?!" Bakura asked angrily to Yami who was surprised by the boy reaction.

"Did I do something wrong by accepting her invite?"

"It's not that Yami, that girl is just who Bakura crushing on is all," explained Yugi as he entered the room. He was covered in soap suds but he was smiling.

"Crushing? I'm not familiar with the term I'm afraid,"

Bakura sat down in a chair to put in plain words, "I started working here of a year and a half ago because of her. My neighbor Ms. Mavity was gone for the week on vacation and asked me to take care of her Great Pureness, Oso. That Spanish for "Bear" and that dog was just like a mini polar bear! I was walking Oso and then I saw her. She was my new neighbor and she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen as she was arranging flowers in the bay window of her home. I feel in love the moment I laid eyes on her.

I found out her name was Wakana Wynn and her parents were divorced and her mother lives in America. Her father is a retired Army Cornel. He's a bit overprotective and strict with her. Still, he allowed her to take an internship at the gardens and during her break, she comes her to be with the animals. She is in love with Misty. I started to volunteer here too get too know her and because my school counselor said I need an extracurricular activity for a college résumé."

"So from 4:30 to 5:15 she was mine and mine alone. Just me and her. I am just way too bashful to talk to her anywhere but here. I mean it was merely puppy love at first but after all this time of talking to her while she's here I really love her I just can't tell her that! That is why I want to give too her Misty on Friday. I know she wants her and her dad finally will allow her to have a pet,"

"C' mon on Bakura let's go see the flowers with her. Maybe you'll find the courage to speak to her in her realm of flora instead of the realm of fauna," Yami told him as he helps get Bakura to his feet.

That night at the Wildlife Persevere Atem showed his cousin just how much he learned about Earth precious wildlife. He'd taken Bakura suggestion and watch Animal Planet. He had watched the following, "Wild Rescues, Animal Miracles, Emergency Vets, Animal Cops, Amazing Animal Videos, The Most Extreme, Prehistoric Park, Dragons a Fantasy Made Real, Crocodile Hunter," He also had brushed up on different kinds of plants with a book Wakana had lent him.

As he and Seto strolled in the starry moonlit night he was ranting off left and right all the facts and data on the entire Earth magnificent flora in addition to fauna. He went on for a while about the evils of poaching, the sickening of things some humans did to animals. Yet he also said he could hear the entire planet now both animals and plants speaking to him and it was amazing just how alive everything was! He even sang out loud to his cousin surprised the opening song to Bambi 2, "There is Life" to show he truly understood that man and nature must really learn to live in harmony if either were to survive.

They concluded that night that the Vixen hadn't reemerged from wherever they were hiding and agreed to meet at a different place at the same time.

The whole week went by without a single incident. Yami's powers still were growing expediential; however, he was still enjoying the ability to truly hear the world around him. He along with Yugi helped out at both the Gardens and Shelter and Yami was learning a little more about the subject of "Puppy Love" or "Adolescent Infatuation" as the dictionary called it.

As they walk the mile to the shelter Friday to get the last minute touches done for the Open House something terrible happened. Bakura was telling excitedly them that Duke had called him that morning and told him, there was going to be a rave at the docks tomorrow night. Yami was about to ask what exactly was a rave when for no reason Misty started to bark insanely and get a look of hatred on her sweet face. "Evil! Evil! Evil!"

He followed her line of sight and saw one of the Vixens. He almost choked on the evil energy coming from her. She seemed to be ready to do some immoral act and Misty wasn't about to let her. She broke free of Bakura hold and ran after the evil woman. This was what the Vixen wanted and unleashed her negative shadow magic energy and blasted the tires off a truck causing it to swerve and hit Misty head on!

The only sound after the sound of Misty's skull being smashed to smithereens was the sound of a pot breaking. Wakana was on the other side of the street. She had with her a pot of red roses and now it was smashed on the ground. She had dropped it after seeing the young pup being killed. Horror struck she ran off, Bakura shocked as well but didn't want to see his crush in that state ran to find her. Yugi went to see if the driver was ok. The Vixen then went to the remnants of the flowers of true love and smashed them to pieces and laughed before leaving.

Yami was shocked and outraged that bitch would do such a thing! He was so angry he almost didn't hear Misty'svoice, "Please help me," He ran too the young husky mix and placed his right hand on her. He could feel a faint trace of life energy in her.

"I won't let that bitch get away with murder. No every life on the plant is precious. This world is full life, love, and beauty and I won't let this demon get away with this sadistic act!" he said as he cradled Misty's body in his arms and took a deep breath and focused.

He heard his own heart beating and then he heard Misty heart getting stronger as he was able to pull her back from the gates of heaven. Her injuries were gone and she was like a newborn puppy once more! Smiling he used his reminding energy to fix the flowers before passing out.

He was once more dreaming of Yugi and him together but now that song was even stronger then ever and now instead of the nightmare coming to swallow up Yugi, a bright golden light was emanating from the heavens and bathed him in its soothing glow. His blood-spattered wings were regenerated and became even more beautiful.

"Yami wake up!"

"Huh? Yugi?"

"I guess the accident caused you too faint! But a miracle happened! Misty ok! Look!"

The dog was leaping around happily and he also saw both Bakura and Wakana holding hands with a rose in Wakana right hand. "I don't know who the angel watching over all of us but I thank them for saving Misty. Bakura thank you for giving her too me,"

"You're welcome," he said blushing as she kissed him. Yami was able to figure out she must have had a crush on him too.

"Here Yami I think all of us should have a rose today. To celebrate Misty still is alive and all of Earth being alive. "True Love is like a Red Rose blooming in the winter snow its' so strong not even the winter cold can kill it," she mused happily

After Yugi and Yami left for home after the shelter open house ended the two new lovebirds walked home only too discover at their feet feathers and a few were stuck on Misty as well.

The only ones not happy with this development was The Vixens. They knew their Mistress and King wouldn't be happy with this bit of news at all.


	10. Dark Side of Humanity

"The Dark Side of Humanity"

"Report, Mahad! Have you and your infernal team located my fucking offspring hideaway yet? If so when are you going to evict him and get his sorry ass back home?" barked the King who resembled a rabid canine at the moment.

Mahad was given Aknamkanon an updated. He had been playing a game of rummy with everyone and surprisingly Mana was a natural. She had won 7 games in a row so far. She had just laid all the aces and tens thus discarding her entire her hand winning her seventh game in a row, when their rings started to glow brightly. The King was making a house call on their progress and it wouldn't be the best thing for him to know they'd been playing games and not doing the job of getting Atem back the way he wanted to be done.

Quick as lightning Isis snatched up the playing cards and shoved them back into the nightstand drawer where they'd been found. Then just as the gems on their rings were turning red as blood and hot as the embers of hell they answered their call.

Saying the incantation required the rings each emanated a light when combined made a very realistic life-size image of the King. You think he was in the room and not back in Xanadu. One thing was unambiguous he wasn't happy.

"My King may I say what an honor it is to hear your voice once more," Mahad spoke to the King who merely scowled.

"Spare me the gratuitous bullshit, Mahad! I'd be interested in knowing if you've unearthed my son as well as if you have, why isn't he back home yet?!" he snapped like a cobra at them.

Isis held Mana tightly as Mahad and Seto began to elucidate what had transpired for the duration of the past week. Mahad spoke first bravely to the king.

'We've made contact with Prince Atem, your Highness. I first encountered him in a public lavatory and we established a few… guidelines. To show we trust him enough we agreed upon the following arrangements in this deal. They're as followed,"

"1. Not a soul shall follow him to his place of refuge. 2. No harm shall come to pass to any of the humans he has befriended, 3 we won't confront him in any hostile manner, 4. We won't interact or intervene with him in public in less its neutral ground. 5. We meet in a pre-arranged location and talk of what is going on," Mahad explained glancing at Seto who continued.

"In this manner, we're slowly easing him into making the choice on his own to return home. We also aren't endangering any of the lives on this planet. My cousin has begun to Ascend, he has devised is own secret way to deal with it. We're still are making sure we aren't exposed and we've taken refuge in a human public house. Mahad and I can personally assure you, Uncle, that things are going according to plan. You've needed to have a little patience, Uncle. I promise you, we'll complete this mission for you,"

"Let's hope for all of your sakes as well as all of Xanadu, that you don't be unsuccessful. Keep me knowledgeable of your advancement and do take any measures necessary to get Atem back here a week prior to his 18th year, you understand? That's the deadline, dear nephew. Either you four get him and his sorry ass back here by that time or I'll be a force to deal with this myself! Now go forth and do you duties and let's hope on the Heart of Xanadu you four don't become infected with the monsters around you lies! Till we meet once more," he told them in an icy tone of voice and vanished.

"He's already got the gallows waiting for us, doesn't he, Daddy? He doesn't expect us to succeed, so he just waiting to clip our wings and kill us off?" Mana whimpered like a scared puppy.

"Shush it's going to be ok, Mana. We promised you daughter, that no one will harm you remember?" Isis told her sweetly however Mana wasn't convinced.

"Look you watch the magic box for a while and Daddy and I'll talk out on the balcony with Seto ok? You can order some of that cheesecake too if you like, ok sweetheart?"

"Ok, Mama," Mana said as she climbed on her bed. She then proceeded to jump on it till she found the remote and turned on the magic box or TV and began to watch an episode of "Full House" on channel 25 ABC Family. She was in next to no time giggling happily as the show played out and the others talked out earshot.

The elder three walked out to the balcony and slide the sliding glass door shut. Then they became very frank on a few of their own concerns. Mana wasn't the only one very for their lives. They understood just as well as she did that their lives where on the line here.

"We just told only half truth to the king. This doesn't bode well in our favor. Yet we couldn't tell his highness of all that has transpired. Not without risking the lives of the humans that have been unintentionally dragged into this conflict," Isis acknowledged despondently at the same time as she sat down on the cast iron rail.

"You speak the truth, my love. If the King knew everything that has passed since Atem descended upon this strange human city this world would be gone just like that," snapping his fingers. "Atem has grown a great deal since leaving Xanadu. It's almost as if the Prince found himself when he came across this land,"

"I agree with you my friend, for the duration of my time of watching him in the past 6 days I've seen someone that I don't recognize. My cousin Prince Atem was devoid of thoughts or feelings. He was merely a golem who did as instructed and took the beatings of his manufacturer. On the other hand that isn't the case any longer,"

"Enlighten us, Seto, on your observation," Isis asked the young priest. Sighing he poured each of them some lemonade and began to explain what he had noticed, "During this week alone everything about him has changed. He is very concerned about the people around, especially that human whom coincidental looks like him. He is overeager to learn as much as he can about this world and all things in it. He was obsessed with the flora and fauna and actually now does, manual labor without a complaint!"

"I've yet to see Atem but I've myself this week unintentionally picked up some of his energy. Or at least my Necklace has been able to distinguish the rising emotional energy coming from the once numb Prince. I've witnessed extremely indistinguishable images; on the other hand, I can sense to some extent what he feels. These feelings are very intense, and a great deal of them are focused on the boy Yugi. We must protect Atem's friends while on this mission, especially this boy," Isis stated so firmly she broke her glass.

"You're right, Isisa. We may not know anything about this soul called Yugi. Other then he looks like our prince and that Atem is staying with him. We must make sure that both Atem and he are safe and sound and out of harm's way. It'd make Aknamkanon even angrier to think in his mind, a human had the audacity to deliberately pretend to be an Immortal by impersonating Atem when it's just a coincidence that they resemble one another,"

"No doubt those Vixens will strike out in any manner to get a rise out of Atem and force him to reveal what he is and what he's not then he'll have no choice but to come home. They proved that point yesterday when they intentionally killed that dog, yet at the same time; this shows how much Atem's powers have grown in view of the fact that he brought her back to life!"

"My cousin also revealed to me that he's been going by the nom de plume "Yami" while he masquerading as a human. He also revealed during our meetings these past few days he is attending a human Academy. But hasn't revealed anything else that would lead us to find him or his human friends," Seto told his companies as they watch the sun come up over the sea.

"Those Vixens are going to be a major problem. I sensed one was keeping an eye on us while went to watch that movie. Even if the king asked about it and we said we were just surveying the vicinity. Getting the feeling of human to anticipate Atem movements he wouldn't buy that bluff at all," Isis replied as she filled a new glass up.

"Not with Father's Eye he wouldn't. I still don't know how you managed to deceive it Mahad, but that I'll say was one of the most amazing things ever! I think it's safe to say in this conflict it won't matter what happens because all of us lose in one way or another," Seto remarked miserably and all nodded in agreement.

They went inside to think of what they could do and found Mana wasn't anywhere too be found! They looked everywhere till Seto found a note that had fallen under the bed.

"Dear Mama, Daddy, and Seto. Prince Atem called on the phone doohickey five minutes ago. He says he's going to some kind of social gathering tonight and I've gone too keep an eye on him along with keeping an eye out for those vixens! You'll know how to reach me and I'll call if things get out of hand!

Love, Mana"

"I hope by the Heart of Xanadu, she will remain on safe and sound and that those loathsome ignominious bitches don't lay a hand on my daughter or they'll face wrath worse then the king so help me!" Mahad voiced angrily with a clenched fist.

"Don't worry, my friend. Mana a hell of a lot tougher then she lets on, even too herself. She'll be ok. I don't think we need to worry too much. But while she is keeping tabs on Atem we should think of something to do in case we're found "guilty" of 'treason" in my father and uncle eyes,"

Mana had run into a bit of trouble as she left the hotel room. But it wasn't anything really evil or at least related to her home in the skies. She had left in a big hurry and was still a bit of a klutz. At the same time as her parents along with Seto, had been having a conversation on the balcony, she was enjoying the TV.

She had been watching something called "Full House" and the madcap cast sure brought a smile on her face from their larking about. Just as the second episode was about to commence, Atem had called them on the secure phone line her father had set-up. He informed her he'd be with his friends at the south end of the docks in a building called a warehouse owned by someone he called "Kaiba or as everyone called him Kaibutt," He said you know it by the large visual rendering of the Divine Beast, Blue Eyes White Dragon inscribed on the side.

He'd be there at dusk, for now, he was going with Yugi to see a friend for some help for the gathering tonight. He told her the building he'd be at for a few hours would be called a "Dance Studio," and then he said he had to go.

She glanced at her family and made up her mind she take on the responsibility of watching the Prince. She wanted to prove to everyone and herself she wasn't a child. Scribbling a note she left their room, "163B," and ran to the elevator to go to the lobby.

That number is of an episode very important to me. It when Atem must deal with the demons from when he lost Yugi's soul in that duel. For me, that was one of the most emotional times in my life and my teachers at school at the time practically Mrs. Plym didn't understand why I was more distraught then usual. I've had to save that episode on my Youtube account 3 times and I cry each time because of how Yugi and Atem act yet it shows that Atem is human and it shows how much they truly mean to each other and I don't want to ever forget that! Now on with the story

Upon reaching the lobby she tripped getting off the elevator right into someone. As the two youth collide into each other a lot of possessions went in the air. When she came back to her senses she realized her wand wasn't clipped to her belt anymore.

"Oh no! I've got to find it!" she expressed in a panic tone as she began to desperately in vain try to find her wand among the belongings of the strange youth she had run into.

"Here let me help you, girl. Calm down, please. Let me help you find whatever it is you're looking for," said a soothing voice as his hands took hers in his for a moment. She felt her cheeks go pink as she gazed in the pools of melted jade of the young man before her.

He was fairly tall with ebony hair in a ponytail and a nicely cut jawbone. He wore an earring resembling the tiny cubes with pictures he had spilled when she rammed into him. She didn't know why but her body was having rather weird and wonderful feedback as she gazed at the youth before her.

"Hi, my name is Duke Devlin. I'm the creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters. I was delivering my game to the hotel for the game room and I guess I didn't look where I was going. Otherwise, I wouldn't have knocked out such a charming young woman like you," he replied to her with a sheepish embarrassed laugh.

Giggling herself, Mana replied, "Gomenasai too you. I'm in such a hurry to get to a place, that I don't even know where it is exactly. I'm a tad on the klutzy side. I could use your help finding my wand,"

"Wand? You a magician assistant or something?"

"Something likes, that,"

They both broke out laughing till their sides hurt as they cleaned up the mess. They found her 'wand' mixed in amongst the scattered packing peanuts. She blushed, even more, when he gave it back to her, and he was turning crimson as his clothes.

"Thank you for all your help, however, I must go," She ran till she was almost too the gold revolving doors then stopped.

"Something wrong?" asked Duke to her sympathetically as he rested one of his hands on her shoulder. "Um, I'm not at all familiar with this city layout. My parents and I as well as a family friend are here on businesses. A close friend of the family is um is having issues with his father. We're supposed to keep an eye on him till they are resolved. However I've got no idea where this place is that he supposed to be at for awhile nor do I know where to find him tonight at this party by the docks,"

"You've heard about tonight rave?" Duke asked her with an eyebrow cocked.

"Well, this friend I'm supposed to be watching told me in a quick phone call that he was going out tonight with some of his new friends to a big party at the docks. He also mentioned he was going with a special friend of his named Yugi, to get together with an important person, who is supposed to be of assistance to him get ready for tonight," she confessed to Duke.

"Yugi?" he said with his eye widen in shock.

"Yes that the name of the boy, my friend is staying with. He won't say where that is or anything else about his friends for safety reasons. I don't want to know that anyway. I just want to know where the Domino City Dance Studio is so I can keep an eye on him and make sure he not getting into more trouble then he can handle,"

"Is your friend name, Yami by chance? Tall, piecing amethyst eyes, wild hair and very naive about the real world?"

"Yes, that's him! Are you one of his new friends?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. We hang out at school all the time in addition to that, I've shown him how to play a bit of my game. Despite the fact that he much rather plays Duel Monsters with Yugi. He can't seem to let Yugi out of his sight. It's very weird how they look so much alike. I'll take you to the Dance Studio, they're most likely meeting Tea there. Maybe after you've watched Yami for a bit we could I don't know to get a bite to eat?" he asked hopefully to he along with a very self-conscious chuckle.

"Um, I've to ask Daddy. Let's go, Duke!" she said as the pair left the hotel together. She was skipping merrily as they walked to the Dance Studio. "Oh, I didn't catch your name,"

"It's Mana,"

Indeed Yugi and Yami had sought out Tea's expertise in teaching Yami how too dance. Yami had told Yugi that morning after the battle for the bathroom ended with the toilet overflowing, he didn't know how too dance.

So Yugi said no one in the world was as great a dancer as Tea. When she danced it was if she was dancing on both water and air at the same time. She was the queen at the arcade dance machine and won a lot of local competitions. She was saving to go to NYC school for dancing and art one day.

"You really think Tea can help me learn to dance?" inquired Yami, inquisitively to Yugi as they walk to the dance studio.

"Yeah, she can teach anyone to dance, even if you did have two left feet and no talent. Tea is a natural at dancing. She got rhythm alright. You ok, Yami? You seem a tad paranoid. The way you keep acting like someone gonna surprise attack us at any moment,"

"The past week hasn't been as peaceful as I hoped, it is. I very much enjoyed spending time with Bakura and Wakana in addition to learning so much about this special planet we walk upon. But to tell you the truth I think I do have a reason to be fearful about something," he told them as the pressed the crosswalk button and waited till it was safe to cross.

"You want to talk about what got you so scared?"

"Yes, I do. But not right now, after this 'rave," ok? I want to have some fun tonight! You did say I meet up with a lot more your friends' correct?"

"Yeah, a lot of people will be at this underground party. On the other hand, everyone is kinda hoping Kaiba doesn't show up or we'll all be in serious trouble! He'll have us sent off to the clink for carousing in his building. Though Joey right he hasn't even touched that building since building it way back in 1997!"

"You sure Grandpa won't mind us being out so late? Does he even know what exactly we'll be doing tonight?"

'Uh actually, Grandpa is going to be away all weekend. He's getting together for a social gathering of his own with some archeological buddies. Um, Professor Hawkins and Dr. Alex Brisbane are getting together for their monthly card game weekend. That just means they go to this mountain cabin and swap stories along with theories over a few games of Duel Monsters, They lay a wager on silly things in a pot to make it interesting, more often than not, the pot is full of baked goods,"

"So we'll be alone all weekend?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Oh, here we are! Tea should be on the top floor. C'mon!"

Reaching room "53" they could hear the song "That's what girls do!" playing loud and clear. Knocking once the music was lowered and Tea called out for them to c' mon on over and c' mon in!

"53, is when Yugi tricks Yami into going out on a date with Tea! Now that was funny pulling the wool over the Pharaoh eyes! He looked so cute and funny when he realized he been hoodwink also its one of the few times Yugi/Atem changed their clothes! Man with such smoking bodies why is it that they only wear that stupid blue outfit? God! Also, I don't hate Tea in the least; I don't understand what people got against her. She's just being a girl and keeping the morale up in the group. Someone got to make sure they don't lose their hearts or they'll all end up assholes like Kaibutt! The only thing I don't like about Tea is her name in Japanese because I can't say it to save my life!"

They cross the threshold into the room and where surprised a bit by what they saw. It looked like a normal ballet room with a mirror wall and bar on the far side. But the room was painted vibrated shades of magenta, jade, as well as amethyst with a huge skylight bathing the room in natural light. Wiping the sweat off her brow was Tea. She was in a black strapless calisthenics top with a picture of the Magician of Faith on it with tight-fitting matching spandex shorts as well as sweatband around her head and wrist. She turned down the CD player just as the song "Man I feel like a woman" from her burned CD played.

"Hey, guys! Haven't seen much of you two outside of school this week! So how things were going?" at the same time as she took a long sip out of her Gatorade bottle.

"We're fine Tea. We've been busy all week helping Bakura out at the Animal Shelter," Yugi put in plain words kindheartedly too his friend.

"Well, it's always nice to help others. That includes everything on the planet as well not just other people. So what can I do for you two? You said you need my help for something?"

"Um, I like to ask you a favor, Tea." Yami stuttered to her embarrassingly.

"Yeah, Yami what's it?"

"I need you to teach me to dance!" he blurted out loudly.

Blinking at him in surprise, she replied kindheartedly "Yeah I can teach you to dance. But a word in advancement my friend. I can only teach your feet the steps, only the soul can truly dance. So no matter what I teach whether it's a waltz or the cha-cha slide it will only be you moving around to music. Only when your soul is set free will you be dancing. Let's get started we are gonna need some good tunes for this,"

For the next two and a half hours, Tea exhaustingly attempted the painstaking task of teaching Yami to dance. She got out another of her burned CDs knowing that Yami was more relaxed when he heard music and it helps teach dancing. When they tried to do slow dancing she played the songs, "There you'll be, somewhere out there, in the beginning, it's your love, and my heart will go on," However all she ended up doing was making him more nervous and getting her feet stomped. She then tried more modern dancing with faster songs, "The Reason, Too Little Too Late, Accidentally in Love, Dare you to Move, When I Grow Up, All for Love and Dive in"

She was doing a good job but something wasn't right within Yami. As they took a breather she expressed to Yugi, "He got the talent to dance I can sense it. But the part of him that needs to be released to do so is being blocked. You think if you two paired up and followed my instructions he gets over this block, he got?" she inquired to Yugi who blushed at the prospect at dancing with the sexy young man.

"Uh, Uh, I guess we could try it," he said, at last, trying to stop his heart from jumping out of his mouth and onto the floor. "Great we'll try it right now…huh?" hearing a knocking down below. "Who could that be? I'll check it out; you two get ready to dance. I hope it's the handyman I called 20 minutes ago, to come and look over the problems we've had all morning," as she left to go downstairs.

Yugi looked across the room where Yami was. He was looking at his reflection with a very puzzling look on his handsome face. He was holding his Puzzle in his hands in a questioning manner. Slowly he walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Huh? Yugi?"

"Tea liked to undertake a somewhat different approach, in helping you learn to dance. She wants us to try and dance together; to see if that helps you release your soul. Care to give it a shot?" he asked looking at the floor and twisting his thumbs.

"Let's give it a shot. Pick a song and let's see if I can set my soul free," Starting the CD player up and hitting the random button it landed on "Once Upon a Broken Heart,"

As the Beau Sister sang their hearts out on the CD player both got in the positions, Tea had shown before and just dance. They in next to no time forgot everything else as the music overtook them and their feet had a mind of their own. They did as they please just listening to what they thought the music was telling them to do.

Almost immediately Yami had decided to really kick it up a notch, at the same time as he broke off the embrace with Yugi and really begun to cut loose. He began to dance a storm up as he pops, jammed and then to Yugi shock did three perfect backflips in a row as he began to break dance! By the time the song had finished Yami was hearing a thundering round of applause from four different people. He turned and saw his human friends and Mana!

"I knew you could do it, Yami! Great job! You've now released your soul! That was some breathtaking acrobatics! I'm greatly impressed!" Tea told him proudly with a hug.

"Thanks, Tea, but I would've never been able to do any of that fun body movement without your guidance, it was much apprenticed. Um, Mana, care to have a discussion down the hall? I'll buy you some M&Ms, Excuse us for a moment," Yami said respectfully as he left to the cafeteria with the young brunette Duke had come in with.

"What was that about? Duke where you met that young girl and how is it that Yami knows who she is?" asked Yugi intriguingly as he drank some Gatorade to quench his dehydration.

"Her name is Mana, and I met her at the Holiday Inn. I've been distributing my DDM game to some of the local hotels as well as arcades and we ran into each other on my last stop. I was a gentleman and helped her up and found her wand or special pen. She told me she is with her parents and a close friend trying to resolve a family crisis back home in a peaceful manner. She couldn't disclose a great deal of information, but apparently, her family is supposed to keep an eye on the son of someone very important back in the native land. The person there watching is Yami!"

"You're sure? Yami is someone very important?" Yugi asked with his going wide.

"Well as I said that eye-catching and charismatic young girl didn't say much other then that her family have opted to a passive strategy in letting Yami make up his own mind about coming home and they've elected not to endanger anyone Yami is with,"

"How is your Ascending coming along, Prince Atem?" Mana asked as he kicked the vending machine to get her the plain M&Ms. "So far it's been hell. I've not experienced any instability this morning at all; other then some incredibly infinitesimal energy discharges which the only thing that happened was the pipes got clogged up at my refuge and here the venting was on the fritz for a moment. So tell me, Mana what you doing here with Duke?" he asked as he bit into his KitKat bar.

Mana tried to stop blushing and the pounding on her chest upon the mention of the name of the heartthrob that had to escort her here. She began to swing her legs as she giggled nervously from on top of the table which she was sitting upon. "I meet him when I was leaving the hotel. Your father called us at the crack of dawn, and we've given him an update,"

"You told him what's been going on? You told him everything?!" he asked in an angry tone.

"No, No Daddy didn't disclose anything about your friendships with the humans or anything that place the souls of this world in any danger. While my parents with your cousin were talking about some other matters I was watching the magic box known as TV. I was watching this really hilarious program called "Full House" when you called,"

"I've watched some of it with Yugi. Great show and its no wonder Mary-Kate and Ashley were billionaires before they hit puberty with how talented they are. Still, when it comes to the TV itself, I wish they didn't have to show those ridicules and stupid as hell commercial,"

"Yeah, I get you mean. Those car insurance things are way dumb! The point is you called to keep us informed about your whereabouts due to our agreement. I wanted to show Mama and Daddy I'm not just a frail flower. So I went to find you and make sure you're ok. However, I didn't know where to find you. Then that charming young lad offered to show me the way and buy me lunch," she admitted turning very pink. Yami could see unmistakably Mana had become head over heels in love with Duke.

"Look Atem I just told him truthful we've been sent too keep an eye on you and make sure you don't get hurt. I told him we've decided to let you make up your own mind. But Duke still doesn't know you or I am not human or where you're really from ok? Please don't hate me Atem," she pleaded with him.

"Mana I don't hate you ok? You're a bright young woman with a very sparkling personality. You just bashful and a little skittish are all. Once you get a lot more self-confidence you'll shine with the best of them,"

"Thank you Prince Atem. That means a lot,"

"I've got to get going. Look you and the rest of the court can meet us at the rave tonight. You can interact with my human friends on neutral ground and we might flush out those Vixens and figure out how to get them off our backs, ok?"

"Ok, Atem I swear we're doing all that is in our limited powers to make sure no one gets hurt. Oh, don't feel guilty for Daddy punishment ok? I don't blame you for running away nor do I hold you at fault for him suffering. So you have my forgiveness if you're seeking it ok? I must be going as well; Duke wants to go to a place called "Dairy Queen" for lunch. He says that their Brownie Batter Blizzards are to die for. Till dusk then?"

"Till, dusk,"

They all quickly said goodbye and with a quick hug, all left to get ready for the rave that night. But as Tea was changing her clothes she found stuck to her dance outfit Feathers. She found that very strange indeed as she put them in her purse.

They boys had elected to head to a discount store near the game shop for some long overdue new duds. Yugi had the emergency credit card; Grandpa gave him when he was out of town. The store was called the "Lilypads." Despite the fact it was a discount secondhand store to boot, it did have an incredible selection, of some extremely wicked cool clothing that was still very chic and affordable. Every Friday as well as Saturday afternoon from 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. you could fill up any number of tubs full of clothes and it all costs just five bucks!

"So it's a great place to shop if truth be told. They've got a lot of other cool things as well. Besides, it's the only place I seemed to be able to shop without being mocked for my size. God, I hate being short! I'm 16 years old and I'm the size of a 3rd grader!" Yugi grumbled to Yami who merely laughed.

"I think you seem very tall in spirit, even if you lack the physical height, my friend,"

"You're right. So Yami, who was that girl that Duke brought to the dance studio? You seem to be on familiar terms with her. So who is she?"

Swallowing hard, he turned up the song, "Every time we touch," on his I-pod before answering Yugi's inquiry to the best of his ability.

"I will try to explain best I can, Yugi. I want to tell you the whole story but for now, it's far too treacherous. Please understand this isn't a matter of trust, Yugi as you may think. It is more a matter of protection ok?" he looked the boy straight in those big, adorable, pools of liquefied amethyst.

"Yami, I told you the day we met, you can trust me. I will wait as long as it takes for you to feel safe enough to share everything about your past. But can you at the very least tell who this girl is and what she wanted with you?"

"Her name is Mana. She comes from my homeland that is very far away. Like I said you properly won't have heard of it,"

"Hey I never heard of Croatian till they brought Luka onto the ER cast and I only got a B- in geography last year. The world is a big place and I'm sure there billions of places on this planet that many people haven't heard of,"

Smiling at Yugi's lightheartedness at the uncomfortable subject he continued to tell him what he could as they continued towards the shop. "I hail from a very a faraway city in a distanced realm as you know. As you've almost certainly by now surmised from my father previous mentions he's the head of the government back home. On the other hand, you can guess what kinda man he is,"

"Not a very nice one I'll bet. That goes without saying,"

"Yes Yugi, you're correct with that statement. I knew very well when I ran away that I sooner or later would be tracked down by some of my father's employees. He sent my beloved educator Mahad along with Isis a woman he secretly has loved all his life. Accompanying them is my older cousin Seto who greatly bear a resemblance to Kaibutt and Mana whom both Mahad and Isis see as their daughter. She hasn't had it easy I'll tell you,"

"So why was she there?"

"Last week when I went with Joey and Tristan to obtain Serenity, Mahad made contact with me. We've made plenty of sorts. Despite the fact that my father would prefer an aggressive in addition to the violent approach to bring me back home by force, Mahad and his party have declared they merely are going to keep an eye on me and let me make up my own mind about the issue,"

"So they want to try the strategy the police implicated when they want a runaway kid too come home? Give them their space and a gentle nudge in the direction towards home?"

"Yes. We've got a deal of sorts,"

"So that's why you've been sneaking out every night, isn't it? You've been meeting one of them to talk about this issue, haven't you?"

"I won't lie about that yes. Yugi, they don't know where I've been staying nor do they know anything that would place our love ones endanger. I can't tell you exactly what this danger is but trust me when I say if my father found out everything that has come to pass within this month alone it wouldn't be very pretty.

"So it was just Mana turn too making sure you didn't get into trouble is all?"

"Yes," he looked really guilty along with incredibly distraught that he couldn't reveal the whole truth to this special soul before him. His paranoid as the blue shop came into view seemed to be growing.

"Look whatever problems you've got back home, I want you to know this. I promise I'll always be there for you no matter what. I'll be your friend and I'll help you in any way I can alright?"

"Yugi the next time I've got to meet them, I shall bring you along ok?"

"Thank you for trusting me enough, to tell me what you could. As the climbed the wooden staircase but Yami stopped him from opening the door. "Yugi there is one more thing. There a second group. One that neither Mahad nor I was expected at all. They're the ones I worried about. So could you just pass the word along for everyone to be vigilant ok?"

Nodding, he could unmistakably see that Yami was terrified greatly by this unanticipated other groups. He got the sense from Yami that this "Mahad" he'd talk about was a benevolent as well as admirable spirit so whoever this other group must be the exact opposite if it petrified Yami this bad. They spend an hour at the store before running home to get ready for the rave.

That night just as the sphere of golden amber sky fire had descended from the azure heavens, and now the silvery blue sphere of the Earth natural nightlight took its place, amongst the midnight blue satin blanket dotted with precious diamonds the young teens arrived at their place of fun. Everyone had ditched those fashion-challenged school uniforms and they all were strutting the chicest and wicked outfits ever. The show Runway had nothing on them!

At the moment Yugi was reminding the gang of a few rules, but Yami was oblivious of what he saying. He was still worked up about the Vixens. They hadn't been seen since yesterday when they tried to kill Misty. Still, he was just worked up that they would attack him while he was trying to as the gang called "Have a night out on the town," He also was worried about what Mahad would say when they meet tonight and all the worrying didn't help his Ascending in the least. He'd barely manage to keep it contained till this moment. He needs right now more then anything to relax.

"Yami?" said as voice someone laid a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and fell right into some empty cardboard boxes at the same time all the lights in the area went pitch black.

"Is there a reason, man, your acting like a long tail cat in a room full of rockin' chairs?" asked Tristan as he helps the young prince up to his feet. "I've got a lot on my mind, Tristan. This is also my first party ever,"

"Just relax, Yami. There nothing to worry about," they all said at once. Then out of the corner of his eye, he became aware of the fact that Mahad had arrived with his group. He told them to get in through the back in view of the fact that Seto had refused to use his Rod to force their way.

Everyone on Yami's human friends little by little as well as circumspectly approached the door leading into the warehouse. It was slightly creepy. The whole area was dark and the only sound they could hear was the rats scampering around. Duke went up to the door with the huge "Keep Out, Private Property, No Trespassing!" written on a huge metal sign in big bold letters. He then knocked in Morse code. A few moments through a mail slot sized sliding hole a pair of lavender eyes emerged. Yami thought the eyes and voice that came with it were of a slightly demonic nature.

"The only ones who may enter the Pharaoh's Tomb unscathed must prove that they don't wish to rob the Tomb of its wonders. Shall I put you up to the Tomb keeper Task?" the raspy voice asked as the lavender eyes glinted ominously at them.

"Just let us in, Marik! It's creepy out here and cold!" snapped Joey with Serenity trying to keep her brother cool.

"Not in less you say the password, I can't Joey! My big brother Odion is counting on me to watch the door while he made a mad dash to the john. So say the password and you shall be allowed to enter,"

"The password is "Kaibutt is the biggest jackass in the world," Duke said and the door swung open. Surprisingly when Yami saw "Marik" he didn't seem at all malicious or evil. "Welcome to the party everyone! We've got it all, music, dancing, and great food! Enjoy!" he said in a much more innocent and happy tone.

"You're positive that Kaibutt won't stick his ugly mug and have all us, sent to the clink for this?" Joey inquired the young man as he locked the door up behind them. The green light above the door went red as partygoers headed deeper inside the enormous warehouse to where all the action was. Marik smiled assuring.

"Beyond a shadow of a doubt. My older sister Ishizu has arranged a bogus conference with him in Tokyo. By the time he gets there and realize that he not only has the wrong hotel and his belongings have been 'misplaced' the party will be over and this unused warehouse will be spotless and he'll be none the wiser and he won't be mad,"

"How you figure that?"

"Well, the hotel has some of the best geisha women you've ever seen. Kaibutt is an asshole no denying that, but he's still a guy. We didn't work for this party out 5 months in advance for nothing friends!" as they enter a loud room jam-packed with people dancing in tight clothes underneath the flashing strobe and neon lights to some of the best music ever. A few people where doing a little more then dancing, somewhere dueling and others were making-out.

Everyone one was in next to no time going in different directions too have some fun. Most of them seemed to want just dance but Joey however once spotting a blond hottie was involved in a serious make-out session with the young woman who seemed to want him too. Yami survey the whole room yet couldn't find Mahad and even as he dances, just felt more nauseating and apprehensive that the Vixen was going to jump out any minute. He was so distracted he didn't even realize till it was too late that he was going to dance right into someone.

"Uh no! Gomenasai! I'd looked where I was going!" he apologized frantically as he scooped up the fallen possessions of the person he danced into. He then looked up at who had collided with and nearly dropped the dark sunglass he was holding.

"It's quite alright, boy. I get run over a lot, just so few apologies it's really no one fault with all of us stuffed in this building like sardines in a can. It's enough to give one, claustrophobia. Oh FYI blind people don't like it when you stared at them either, it's rude," said the girl as she took her glass back and covered her milky eyes.

Yami had never seen a more beautiful girl in his life other then his mother. She had long flowing thick wavy ebony silk hair, was tall and a very caring smile. But for him unlike when he stared at Serafina picture he could sense the beauty of this young woman came from within, not outwardly.

"Hello," he said to her.

"Hello, yourself oh, Yugi!" she called out as Yugi did show up when she called to him. This surprise Yami a great deal, there were hundreds of people in here and with all the music, lights, and other things how could this girl know exactly where he was?

'Hi, Aziza! I thought you and your parents didn't get back from Tokyo till next Saturday," Yugi exclaim with a huge smile on his adorable face at the same time as he hugged the young goddess contentedly.

"Well, my parents are still in Tokyo. Although I was able to persuade them, that I can deal with a week on my own alone. Beside whom wants to miss a party like this? So Yugi who your new friend? I've never heard his heartbeat before and I must say its rather special one just like yours is," Aziza informed happily as the trio got of the dance floor to avoid being trampled all over again.

"My name is Yami. I'm staying with Yugi right now. I've got some family problems back home and I just need to get away,"

Aziza for a moment cocked her left ear which was the closest one to Yami. She seemed to be really listening to something that neither could perceive. Finally, she spoke, "I hope you can resolve whatever is ailing you back home Yami. As far as I can tell you're a very nice and wonderful young man,"

Blushing at her statement he gazed at her with a peculiarly look slowly being etched on his face. He didn't know why but he felt like an instant bond was forged between the three of them. He just felt an instantaneous connection to this young girl. She gave him a sensation similar to what Yugi gave him, but it was yet different at the same time. It still was without a doubt a very weird yet wonderful, out the ordinary feeling and he liked how it made him feel. She was a very special and important individual, he just knew in his guts that she was very important, even if he didn't know why at the time.

So the three of them sat and chat up a storm for a while. Aziza Keeper was a long time special friend to Yugi that he'd known for a long time. They're best friends. They gossiped about the daily things of their lives, things that where upsetting them, even a few mentions of their dreams. They just were chewing the fat about a lot of things and really enjoying each other company.

Just after they accepted Aziza invitation to go with her to bowling alley tomorrow and she'd teach Yami how to bowl, his Ascending reached a very bad point. He could feel that it was about to make itself known so he excused himself and ran to find something to drink try and stop the pounding headache so he could focus on a positive way to release the energy.

When he got to the snack table he couldn't find any soda or anything he recognized to wash his pills down with. He was on the verge of losing it when someone came up from behind and tapped his shoulder. Whirling around he saw two very ugly boys but they did both have some type of refreshment in their clammy hands.

"Hey pal, looking for something to drink?" asked the one with an ugly ski cap.

"Yeah but they seem to be out of refreshments,"

"While the soda maybe has gone but we've got some just as good if not better. We'd be willing to share a few drinks with you till they get more soda," said the uglier one handing Yami an unmarked glass bottle. He took it along with thanking the boys. He then proceeded to gulp down the whole bottle in one swallow. He immediately felt all his inner turmoil go numb and he welcomed it. He drank more of this numbing induce liquid. With each swallow of this vile tasting liquid, he forgot more about the trouble back in Xanadu, his father, the Vixens, all the other shit of his cursed immortal existence bestowed to him.

Unaware due to the effects of the alcohol now flowing through him, he didn't realize that Rex and Weevil had slipped behind a black curtain.

"Ok you crazy chicks, we hid all the beverages and gave the boy the alcohol you wanted. He's now as drunk as a skunk," Rex informed two of the Vixens who both smiled pleased that they hadn't had to get their freshly manicured hands dirty.

"Thank you for your services gentleman. They're much apprenticed. Now please go," said the one on the left.

"Not without the payment you promised for this little favor!" snapped Weevil

"Sister give them their reward so the leave ASAP?"

"Here as promised," giving each boy a black envelope with gold "X" on it. They ripped the envelope open and gazed at their prize for their ill-deed. Each had gotten the rarest card for their practicable deck. The Vixens smiled evilly as the boys drooled at their prize unaware they just condemned two mighty Divine Beasts to mortally to get them their prized cards.

They left very happily with their prizes. Not even caring why the strange women had asked them to hide all the drinks and give that boy a concoction of multiple alcohols mixed into one.

'Is it done, sisters? I'm getting sick of keeping Mr. Magic Tricks and his fucking little brood busy all night!" said the final Vixen as she materialized right out of the floor.

"Yes, the plan was well executed. These stupid male naves will do anything for a pretty face and to satisfy their own gluttony."

"Excellent now let's get the Prince and get out of this place! Maybe we could rig the sprinkler system to pour blood on these disgust humans for a dramatic exit?" they laughed as they exited their private room. However, they almost immediately stopped laughing once they left their chambers and look around them.

The pathetic little roaches they used to trap the prince now were lying in the floor in a bloody black-blue heap. They had obviously been in a fight and lost miserably by the looks of it. Also, Atem wasn't anywhere in sight. A quick scan of the room reveals all of the people whom Atem had a great deal of contact with had vanished and it looks like the party was breaking up early it was utter chaos and for once they didn't enjoy the smell of chaos.

"Thanks, Mai for giving us a lift to my place. Sorry, we had to leave the celebration premature," apologized Aziza too her friends "It's not a big deal, Aziza. Besides getting Yami out of that party was the right thing to do. Man, I've always disliked Rex and Weevil but this makes me hate them!" Joey stated bitterly.

"Well at the least they got what was coming to them," Tea remarked with a proud smile. "Yeah Tea it must have been very humiliating for those two creeps to lose all their manliness when all of us girls wipe the floor with them," Serenity declared as everyone gave each other high fives.

"We'll see you'll later and we'll call you when we get Yami's sober," as both Duke and Mai each drove their friends' home for the night. Adjusting the intoxicated prince in her arms she asked Yugi, "Yugi can you unlock the front door for me? I can't carry him and to it at the same time," Aziza said to pass her keys to Yugi. They quickly went into her home.

Aziza home was much like Yugi's in a way. Actually, they're neighbors seeing how the game shop was only two blocks away. The downstairs was an art gallery and the upstairs is where Aziza lived with her family. Yami was moaning and talking incoherently in what Yugi thought was babble when it was actually Millennium Language Yami's native tongue.

"Yugi we're in for a very long night. Ok, here what I need you to do. First, go to 711 and get as much Gatorade as you can. We need to get some fluids into Yami, as far as I can tell water ain't gonna do it all for him. We're going to also need some ice, Tylenol, and something his stomach gonna be able to keep down," she told him giving him $25.

"You can count on me. I'll be back in half an hour tops. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to give him a bath and then spend half the night taking the first shift of keeping his hair out of his face as he throws up. One of the good things about being blind you don't really feel that awkward with the opposite sex. We'll each take turns. Hurry don't worry I'll be fine and you're on my speed dial,"

"Ok, take good care of him Aziza, he very important to me,"

"Yugi, I've only known this boy for the better parts of 3 hours yet I too feel a special bond with him. Now go and hurry but don't' get run over!"

So Yugi left too get what Aziza requested at the same time as she little by little made her way up to the bathroom, "I hope getting a winged teenager sober isn't any different then a normal one," she remarked quietly as she sat him down in the bathroom. She managed to give Yami a bath and not even find the fact he had wings weird. She just cleaned him up and dressed him in her father's pajamas. She along with Yugi spent the rest of the night helping him get the booze out of him and then scrubbing the bathroom spotless in the morning.

The next morning when Yami was finally purged completely of that cursed liquid, he quickly realized he wasn't at the game shop at all. He began to panic a bit then an overwhelming calm feel took over as Aziza came into the room with some breakfast.

"Do you feel any better, Yami?"

"Yes, a little, but my head still hurts,"

"You're gonna be hung-over for the rest of the day with how much you drank. Listen I've got something too show after we go bowling. Things I think an angel trying to learn to be human should see if he wants to succeed in that quest,"

The bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios splattered the floor. He turned white as a ghost and felt his heart pound like crazy. She merely cleaned up the mess and said, "Yugi is asleep in the guest room down the hall. He was extremely depleted by last night activates, he doesn't know about the wings. I didn't tell him for it's not me to tell him. You'd tell him only if it's your wish,"

"How do you know about my wings?" he asked in utter disbelief. He summoned his power of inner knowing, but all he saw was an aura of a person of great purity and no evil influence within her. So she wasn't working for the Vixens.

"I knew about the wings since you knocked the stuffing out of me, last night at the rave. You remember when we're chatting with Yugi how I told you my hearing is highly acute?"

"Yes, you joked that you could give Daredevil a run for his money,"

"I wasn't lying. My sense of hearing is so acute to me a heartbeat is a fingerprint. Each one is different from all others around it. I dare say that I've something's in common with Toph from Avatar. Meaning I've spent all of my 17 years really fine-tuning my hearing, till I'm able to pick up some very minutes sounds that can't be perceived by normal people. I'd heard the very faint movement of your feathers and I was able to confirm my suspicions when I had to give you a bath last night,"

"So you know I'm not human, but you won't tell anyone? Why?"

"Have you ever watched the show, "Danny Phantom?" he nodded and she continued "Jazz didn't tell Danny she knew his secret, because she wanted him to trust her enough to tell her on his own. People throughout the passage of time have volatile others privacy by finding and exploiting secrets. Which is why in life trust is harder to gain but easier to lose. If you actually stop to think about that for a moment consider this. In a weird way because Jazz didn't tell him she knew it's what saved everyone in TUE episode. So you see sometimes it's more important for others to tell you their secret but only when you've rightful earned the privilege of being told them,"

"Secrets are only meant to be revealed by the person they belong to and only if they wish to share them. Also that why he had to erase everyone minds in the third TV movie. For two reasons one if his parents were going to find out about his secret it should be from him, not the media and he needed a sense of normalcy as we all do. Not there any real 'normal' but you get what I mean, correct?"

She then sighed heavily and hugged him reassuringly, "I'm not going to tell Yugi but I believe you'd enlighten him. We've got a great deal to cover today, Yami. I'll be back in a few after I get dressed. I suggest if you want to understand something look at the two photo albums on the coffee table," she said as she disappeared to her room.

He looked over the room and was amazed by it. It seemed all the carpet came from an artist he has seen on Deviant called Ahasveru who was extremely excellent at abstract art and was able to produce the most phenomenon mind-blowing images he had seen. Along with that on the entire walls were metal bars that seemed to have been removed from hospital gurneys each warped in a different colored texture wrap that matched the ones sewn into the floor.

He looked at the glass coffee table. The top was covered with glow-in-the-dark puzzles and on top of them were two photo albums. One was green and the other red. The red one had a gold heart with a knife all the way through it and was labeled. "Dark Side of Humanity," He little by little opened it up and realize this was a scarp book an old one at that.

Each page of this book was full of pictures, clips, quotes, little trinkets, but it showed him the dark side of this world he been hiding in. He saw real photos taken from various tragedies from all over the world throughout time. Pointless killing in any form. He saw the words "Abuse" "Rape" "Murder, Slavery," He saw the many evils on this planet. To people, to plants, animals to all. He saw all of the stupidity that was all part of the human race.

The Green One was labeled "Good Side of Humanity," the Same thing only of a positive nature. He saw ordinary people doing extraordinary things. This was amazing how so many people could care this much to try to save their home yet the same many would try and destroy it. He found at the back of the green one in a laminated cover what appeared to be a school essay. He read it and was thoroughly blown away by its words,

"Hey, Yami!" Looking up he saw both Yugi and Aziza staring at him.

"Sorry is it time to go to the bowling alley?"

"Almost, I need your help in the kitchen first, making some more blood up. Which of my family scrape books you got?"

"Uh, the Green One. I just read the most remarkable essay. Who is the author?"

"She a girl I know from online. We trade emails; she scanned and sent me a copy of her essay for my family scrapbook. C'mon it will only take five minutes to make some blood if we all do it together."

He soon found out she didn't mean real blood. She was teaching him how to make Kool-aid. The different flavors represent different species of blood. Strawberry was Red Mercury a Vampire Choice, Green was Vulcan, Purple was Crocs, and Blue was Horseshoe Crab. They end up making some Horseshoe Crab Blood and then cut and run to the bowling alley. Along the way, they continue to talk and the more they did the more Yami was intrigued and wanting to have this girl as his special friend too.

"So as I was saying it won't matter in Avatar if Aang can defeat Ozai. Like in real life war doesn't end just because a leader is dethroned. No, the disease is of the mind. That's what got to change how people think. Unfittingly with all those changes with time, it can almost be impossible to change a person mind. Still, you've to admit I bring a good point up,"

"You're an amazing young woman, Aziza. I'm amazed that you've been able to gain such wisdom as well as insight from what many would just consider a child cartoon. Yet you do bring up countless good points on what each character in these amazing shows I've seen represent. How in that practical show the hero Aang represent the innocent as well the ironic idea that a child must save the world," Yami told her with Yugi adding to the conversation.

"Yeah and your point is proven vividly that in the war everyone is a victim. There is no innocent in war whether that war is of a globe or just amongst your peers' war hurts all. That what Zuko in show proves,"

"When the played the seventh episode of the second season and my TV was describing what was happening all it made me do was think this. We can choose so much in life, but we can't choose who gave us life or where we're from or what we can or can't do. We can only choose how to live the life that was given to us," as the trio made it to the bowling alley.

The bowling alley was very flamboyant and Yami could tell it would get loud quickly. Aziza seemed to know what to do as she went to her locker for her stuff. They went to the desk and got shoes, socks, wrist guards and went to lane four. She quickly typed in the names and then led them to the interactive new age jukebox. They had a total of 25 picks between them.

They chose the following, "1. I'll Remember You, 2. Forever and Always 3. Helplessly Hopelessly, 4. Come Back to My Heart, 5. Because You Live, 6. Lost a Lover, 7. Gomenasai 8. Welcome to my life, 9. Breath, 10. La Vida Despues De Ti aka Life after You, 11. First Cut is the Deepest, 12. Even Angels Fall, 13. Everywhere, 14. 8th world Wonder, 15. Right here waiting, 16. 1000th miles, 17. Heroes, 18. Miracles Happen, 19. Lips of an Angel, 20. Don't know why 21. Listen to your heart. 22. Why Can't I? 23. Iris, 24. Unwritten, and 25. Please Remember Me,"

They continue to chat on how animated series really did have a very serious message and lessons in the real world at the same time as Aziza school them both in bowling. Shaking her head after Yami sixth gutter ball she went up to him and took him by the hands.

"Ok, listen this is what my Dad taught me to do. Ok first of don't throw the ball, roll it. Ok just swing it like pendulum gravity will bring it forth. Secondly don't bend down. Also, don't aim at the pins line yourself up with the arrows and aim at them. Also, don't turn your shoulders ok? If you turn your ball is going to go in that direction ok?" Aziza calmly instructed him as she moved him a bit and got his body in the right stance. After a few more tips Yami, at last, managed in the third game in the tenth frame to finally get one strike. When he finally did that he was so hyped up you think he breaks the sound barrier from his cry of happiness.

After the bowling they had a quick bite to eat Arby. Then went to the place Aziza had wanted to show Yami. It was a park but it was unlike anything Yami had witnessed before now.

For one all the plant life had a dead coloring too it. Black, dark red, even the grass was the color of dried blood. He then looked down at his feet. The stones making up the walkway all had the handprints of infants on them yet he senses an ominous feeling. When he gazed at lamps he noticed something disturbing.

Each of these "lamps" was made with jars that perfectly preserved organs and labs rats. Each of them destroyed by willingly allowing the body to be exposed to poisons. He saw sculptures made out of the destroyed cars from hits and runs, drunk drivers. There were statues, murals, pictures to represent the sevens sins, chains, weapons anything and everything you could think of. Huge "NO!" made up rape kits and abuse evidence box was scattered about. The further trio journey into the park the more he realized some important things as they passed through a grove of trees with billions of bottles and nooses attach to them.

"Do you understand now, Yami? The stone we crossed represent the billions of children born hooked on drugs. The lamps show how many souls willingly destroy their bodies and need new organs on a list that is itself almost impossible to get an organ in time. That humanity thinks we are many different races yet we're not. We are one race human. As you can see the Wars of Time Mural you'll see it really pointless to kill another human. That person has hopes and dreams and they are just like you. To judge a race as a whole is stupid as well. You can only judge a person, not a country because we all have different thoughts."

"Diversity isn't just 'race' religion and all that. No true deviser is in one mind. We've all have different thoughts, feelings, and opinions, as well as personal beliefs. We each see and feel things differently but we should be able to agree to disagree. The real two reasons for war is either one people have lost the ability to comprise as shown in "Princess Mononoke or two someone wants to flaunt an over infatuated ego as in Avatar,"

"She is right Yami. Everyone is entitled to their option and it should be respected even if you don't agree with it. No one can change your mind but you. Still that what many people fail at,"

"How so?"

"Well for example that saying about 'sticks and stones,' or 'water off a duck back?" it a load of bullshit. Ok words will hurt a lot deeper then a physical wound which will heal in time but the ones you can't see don't always heal over. As we just said if people forget that people have the right to express themselves and their thoughts. But it hurts a great deal when some people go out their way to make you feel pain on purpose. For example, I've left a few reviews on Youtube concerning a show called "Reboot" and I've been a lot of the time very brutally assaulted for even bring up some old ideas that the show gave me at the time like I'm not allowed to say what I feel and that not right,"

"Yeah if you got an idea whether it was for something to write or draw or just for you. No one should've too attacked you. Doesn't that mean the show did what it was supposed and made you happy that you got something out it?" mused Yami as they continued to walk through this park and absorb what it was trying to say.

"I've every right to say what I think and feel where I want too. It hurts a lot when someone does that do you. That is one of the human race's weakness that we can't agree to disagree. No, we're far too proud and stubborn. There are things about being human I'll never understand like money. Even if all the bad guys get the major zeros what are they really going to do? I don't understand killing either. We may have the power to kill another human but we don't have the right at all. Death doesn't solve anything at all," Aziza mused as they reached the heart of the park where a stature similar to Bakura favorite card was.

"We've got a devil on the left an angel on the right. The question is who will win that fight?" Aziza said as Yami read out loud the quote.

"His plan is a mystery but here what isn't. He gave us free will to choose our own fate for good or ill,"

"That's from the Bible. I think you've learned your lesson, Yami. You need to one thing more before we go home,"

"What's that, Aziza?"

Pointing to a young sapling and where four bottles and some rope was waiting. He knew what she wanted and he went and climbed to the top of a young tree and hung the bottles one for each he had drunk last night. He now understood that Earth was far more complex then he originally thought and there were evils as there where goods.

The three friends walked together out of the park all with a strong bond forged and a better understanding of the darker parts of humanity.


	11. Faith of a Child

"Faith of a Child"

It was shortly after sunrise Monday morning; Grandpa was preoccupied pulling freshly baked blueberry muffins out of the oven when the front door was knocked. "In a minute!" as he sat the two dozen muffins tins down and turned off the oven. "Hurry up, boys! Breakfast is almost done!" calling up to the boys as he went to get the front door. Standing before him in that fashion-challenged uniform was Aziza holding a plastic bag.

"Aziza! I didn't know your family was back in town. I thought you are gone another week," as they hugged happily.

"Well, my folks are still gone for a week. I came back on Saturday. I guess Yugi didn't get much of a chance to fill you in about yesterday? How I creamed both him and Yami that new attendant you got in bowling,"

"No, I'm afraid not. When I got home last night from my monthly card game, they're both zonked out on the couch in the living room. They looked very adorable sleeping side by side under that quilt Ashita made a few years ago. Would you like to have some breakfast, I made muffins,"

"Thanks to that be nice, Grandpa. So did you win anything out of the pot or did your potluck out?" she inquired with a snigger at the same time as she removed her shoes and slipped on some slippers.

"That joke never gets old. I won a few cookies that Arthur granddaughter Rebecca made. I was saving them for after dinner tonight. You're welcome to join us. I'm making ribs, corn on the cob, fried potatoes. I'll even throw in some cranberries if you want some,"

"Thank I'll take you up on the offer. Rebecca Hawkins baking? I didn't think it was feasible for the bratty genius to be able to do anything, other then be a little smart-aleck given how much her manners lack,"

"Well, Arthur is trying to correct that problem. Even if he got to do it at a snail's pace,"

"Good Luck, uh the guys are upstairs right? I've got something's that I thought Yami would like. So is Mr. Kyle XY upstairs with the Pure One?" she inquired compassionately to Solomon who smiled at her attempt at humor. "Yeah go upstairs; I'm sure you'll hear them,"

"Thanks," with a hug and a kiss and went to find her best friends. She found Yugi who was just coming out of the bathroom tugging on his blue jacket. He looked up when he saw her shadow looming over him. "Hi, Aziza, you ready to go back to the hell that is High School?"

"No, not really. Just thought I mention something and stop by for some breakfast before that happened. It's better then having cold breakfast cereal by myself,"

"Ok, shoot," at the same time as they went to Yugi room and sat down his bed. "Ok when I called the Ishtars, on the train ride back to Domino the other day about the rave, they assured me on something. While they gave me the location of the rave, they also said under no circumstances was any kind of booze, smokes, or venoms to enter that building. No one may've known it but we're all screened coming into that warehouse. Which begs the question, how someone gets booze in? Kaibutt is a jerk; on the other hand, his security is top-notch,"

"I don't know, Aziza, I don't know. Luckily you're where there to rescue him or someone could've easily taken advantage of him. Though in future you can't let your rage get the better of you, alright?"

"Like those two vermin didn't deserve it! You're not riding any of the other girls back for them giving those fucking little rats their just desserts! Why are you getting on mine?" she replied defensibly to him as her body language began to go south.

"Aziza, when you get mad, you have a tendency to let your anger get the better of you. I mean you've gotten detention more then once for creating a scene at school. Furthermore, you're a lot stronger then you look and can quiet without difficulty harm someone unintentionally in your ferocity. I mean you almost chock Duke to death once for god sake!"

"Well, the bastard deserved it for the way he treated you! Forcing you to play his game because he blamed you for his problems when you weren't at fault!" Aziza declared like a deranged demon, then she started counting to 100 and squeezed a stress ball Yugi had handy for just this kind of thing. He knew something about her that she hadn't told anyone else, something she didn't feel comfortable sharing with the rest of the gang despite them being her friends. At last, she was composed once more and her anger was gone.

"Ok, your right. I've got an angry problem big time. I'd probably be stuck either in juvie or a nuthouse if you weren't here to help me, Yugi. My little angel from above,"

He blushed a bit, "Aziza you saved me from being without a friend in the world as I did to you. As your motto in life goes, "To save one life you need not keep the heart beating, rather give it a reason to beat," You're an amazing young woman and I'm glad our paths crossed. Um if you want to catch Yami before we got too leave I suggest you do it now,"

"Ok save us some muffins," as she went to Yami room. She was really enjoying listing to Yami's heartbeat and the sound of his wings. Truly he was an extraordinary individual and not just for the reason that he possessed the capability to fly. Knocking on the door, "Hey Yami, it's me Aziza. May I please come in?"

"Sure, give me a moment," he called through the door. She was able to hear him change out of his pajamas and into his uniform. He scampered around quickly as a puppy pick up various knickknacks before he allowed her into his chambers.

"Hi, Aziza. It's a pleasure to see you once more," as they hugged. Something about her made him just wanted to hold her tight to feel her soothing touch. For a second time, he felt an out of the ordinary sensation when he was with her. It was the sorta reaction he got when he was with Yugi, yet this was slightly different.

"It's nice knowing you're all right Mr. Kyle XY," chuckling for the reason that she knew he was frowning in confusion. He was indeed staring at her with a look of pure confusion.

"Mr. Kyle XY?"

Failing to stiffly her amusement she gestured to the bed so they both sat down. "There was a show last summer called "Kyle XY" It was about a young boy who looked like a teenager yet behaved like a newborn. He had many strange abilities along with that, there countless theories to his origin. The second season coming this summer and is to be a smash hit. I can't wait to watch it,"

"Um, how do you 'watch' TV? You lack the ability to see,"

"My TV, as well as anything else that requires visibility, has an auditory function to tell me what is going on. Here, I brought some books and DVDs over for you. I thought they might be of assistance on your quest," handing over the Wal-Mart bag she had brought over with her.

"Let's see what, you got me, for books we've "Go Ask Alice, Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Egypt Game, The Gypsy Game, The Foretelling, Call of the Wild, Pollyanna, A Day No Pig Will Die, Four Perfect Pebbles, Child of the Wolves, The Chronicles of Narnia, Bunnicula, A Single Shard, Island of the Aunts, Which Witch?, The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963, The Raging Quiet, Ella Enchanted, Where the Red Fern Grows, Trumpet of the Swan"

"Quite a diverse selection you got here. But don't they all have Braille since they're your books?"

"I've got Braille as well as Written, Yami. I picked ones; I'd taken pleasure in from childhood, in addition to a few, that will make you laugh Yet all things in life has a meaning if you know how to find it,"

"Hmm what you have got for DVDs, I wonder. Let's see," as he looked over the covers of the multiple burned DVDs. "The Miracle Worker, Lady in the Water, Remember the Titans, Finding Forester, Phenomenon, Forrest Gump, Ice Age, Castaway, Antwone Fisher. The Lake House, Miss Cognately, Hope Floats, 28 Days, Dr. Doolittle. Princess Bride, Labyrinths, Two Brothers, Cheaper by the Dozen, Parenthood, Fools Rush In,"

"Yami, promise me that you'll actually read and watch a few of these the normal way and not whatever you did before? I mean Yugi said you can say the whole Titanic movie from the heart! That's really by any means impossible without a photographic memory which I doubt you've got. The best thing I've ever been able to say a word for word was an episode from Gargoyles"

"I promise, Aziza I will. I thank you for doing this along with keeping my secret. I know we've only known each other for less then 72 hours. Yet from the moment I laid my eyes on you I felt a bond. A weird as well as wonderful in addition to the powerful bond that just makes me feel like it was more then mere chance I ran into you and that you're someone very special,"

"I felt that too. I've only felt that feeling of belonging and safety once before, the day I met Yugi. We're very young when we meet yet he saved me as I did him. This sensation you're describing was similar, to the feeling you get when you've just experienced something that can't be explained based on reason. Such as a paranormal encounter or when you fall in love. You just know that you and this other person are meant to play a special role in your life. With you and Yugi, you both seemed to give off a vibe that makes it impossible not to fall in love with you two in some manner," Aziza confessed to the winged prince.

"Yami! Aziza! C'mon. Breakfast's ready and we got to get school so move your butts!" called Yugi as he ran to the kitchen. He was pleased that Yami enjoyed Aziza company as much as he did. She was a very special soul as was Yami.

Yami quickly stuffs the bag with the books and DVDs in his closet and ran to get some food, yet still was able to notice something peculiar about Aziza. He didn't ask her about his observation until the whole gang was walking to school.

"Um, Aziza is there a reason you always walk on the tips of your toes?" he asked her nonchalantly as he adjusted his backpack while they waited to cross the same intersection where he had been nearly run over a month before.

She stopped walking for a moment and stared her sunglasses covered eyes at him. "You just become aware of that? It's just something, I've done my whole life furthermore I've really got no reason for it all. I've just done it so long; I don't even notice it when I'm doing it. While the souls of my feet aren't so pretty I'm told, the good thing from walking like this I've really got great calf muscles as a result," as he looked at her legs and blushed.

They made it to school devoid of any kind of unpleasant incident and for the moment his Ascending seemed to be in a state of neutral. He was still concerned for his friends' welfare. More than ever now that he realized what truly had transpired at the rave. He was still trying to figure out how the Vixens had tracked him down like that. He was also a bit nervous because he hadn't been able to make contact with Court from the time when he'd chatted with Mana. He was extremely worried that the Vixens had taken their foul-mood out them because they failed to trap him.

Still, he was forced to shove that to the back of his mind. Seeing how all of his classes that day seemed to have very long exams today. It seemed the gloomier and more distraught he got the more the weather outside seemed to reflect his mood.

"That's so weird," comment Joey as the gang was heading to the lunchroom.

"What is Joey?" inquired Yami at the same time as they stopped at their lockers too put their things away.

"He's talking about the hailstorm outside! The weather was supposed to be sunny and clear all week! This hailstorm came out of nowhere and I just heard on the radio that even with this hail falling right in front of our noses, the weather station gear all says it's still sunny and clear. They're undoubtedly out of order!" Tristan remarked as all the kids looked outside.

It was so black and windy it seemed the school was merely a child block about to topple over. Bakura wasn't very happy with this erratic change in the weather. "There no way they can get all the dogs inside without getting made into pastes!"

"This is way worse. The weather getting worse by the minute! I was going to audition today at the Domino City Theater, for the lead in "Grease" but I'd end up grease in this torrent of fury!" exclaimed Tea sorrowfully. She had been told a talent scout would be there and this could be her one shot at her dream!

Yami was hearing all of his friends have a discussion regarding their woes connect too the weather conditions. He wished he could be of assistance to them. That they didn't have to worry about missing things that meant a great deal to them because of this weather.

The more he wished the weather would change the more it did! Till it was just what the doctor ordered! He immediately then deduced that he had gained one more ability. His emotions now could manifest themselves in different forms and like a moment ago if he was so consumed by melancholy along with concern it came out in a way that others would be unintentionally forced to endure as well.

"Wow, that's really freaky! One sec is hailing, now it's beautiful. Man, that is some freaky weather," Joey exclaimed as they got in the lunch line. As everyone began to talk more about the weather Yami notice that Aziza was off by herself. He got out of line and walk to where the young blind girl was sitting. "Hello, Yami, why aren't you getting lunch? Today they're severing something half-way decent. Sloppy Joes," she asked him as he took a seat across from her.

"Can't you afford lunch? Why aren't you getting something to eat? If you don't have money I'll loan you some,"

"Yami, you've got a very kind heart. But no I don't require lunch money. I've already eaten in any case," reaching to her feet and producing a small bag with a picture of the animated character on the front. "I've had the same lunch on a daily basis. A ham and ketchup sandwich, fruit drink, and two snacks. I've never eaten school food. I've always brought my own. On the other hand, I'm afraid you just missed out on the Sloppy Joe by the sound of it. It most likely in Joey bottomless stomach by now,"

He turned and saw she was telling the truth. "Don't worry; I'm positive Yugi snagged you one sandwich. He's that kind of a guy. A very selfless soul a rare quality I'll admit," The rest of the gang in next to no time showed up at the table. Yugi did slip Yami a sandwich and some chocolate milk as he passed one too Aziza as well.

"Thank you, Yugi," they both said at the same time.

"You're both welcome. I'm just sorry that your sloppy Joe isn't hot nor is your milk cold as should be,"

"It's ok, Yugi. It's hot enough for me and I believe Aziza will find her milk just right too," he said with a wink as a faint glow enveloped both items getting them to the right temperature.

After a few minutes of gossiping about utter nonsense Serenity, spoke up. In view of the fact that she was staying with her brother till their mom got back from the retreat, she was at she was going to their school as well.

"Pardon me; did anyone hear what I just said?"

"Uh no, sis, sorry. What did you say?" asked Joey as he swallowed his fifth sloppy joe almost choking on it. His face turns slightly blue and he gulped down two glasses of milk quick as lightning.

"She was saying crater mouth, that she's been lately volunteering at places such as hospitals, veterans, and retirement homes, because her school counselor said she has a very calming nature, Joseph," Aziza told the blond smugly. He wanted to glare at her but knew it does no good.

"So you've been volunteering as well, Serenity? I've been working at the Animal Shelter and it's been rewarding in more then one way," Bakura told her as he snuck a peek into his wallet.

"Well, to be honest, it was just something to do. My therapist Ms. Karalis suggested it a long time ago. At the time I didn't think too much about it because of my impending blindness,"

This caught Yami attention as he looked at the lovely maiden from a new perspective. He swallowed the last bit of his lunch and listen to her to continue her tale.

"I was in a very depressed state of mind. I didn't see how could help anyone or myself when I was soon never too see anything again. Not that being blind is a bad thing, Aziza,"

"It's different for you then me. Me I was born sightless thus that's who I am, furthermore I accept it. You're born with the ability to see. Therefore you had the right too fear that unwanted fate furthermore makes an effort to escape it. I bare no feeling of resentment against you for wanting to be able to see forever," Aziza assured Serenity in a very soothing manner.

With a heartening smile, Serenity continued to tell them her story. "Well after Joey saved me from that unwanted fate, I decided this must be fate way of giving me a second chance. So I come to a decision then and there. To use it to help others find their second chance when they believed they even ought not to have one,"

"That's really noble of you, Serenity. Seeing as how you now been on both sides of the fences you can really reach people on a more personal level," Yugi complement her with a bright smile on her face.

"I thank you, Yugi. I was hoping about doing some candy stripper duties at the local hospital while I'm visiting Joey. I was hoping someone would come with me. I'd feel a lot less nervous if I had someone else with me,"

"I'm sorry, sis, but both me and Tristan promised to help with the musical stage crew at the local theater. We've to do our own community services, too you understand,"

"I wonder why they decide to do that." Yami thought too himself when he was surprised to hear someone else voice unknowingly answer his question for him without realizing they did.

"Boys, ugh you promise them free food and that hot chicks, will be watching them you can get them to anything. Well, at least Joseph self-indulgence is only limited to how many free doughnuts he can have and not stupid 'necessary' evils of money. Tristan just follows his buddy anywhere. Good that their friends still Tristan can be a bit of an oddball at times. I hope Tea isn't too embarrassed to drag them along to the auditions. Still better to have goofy friends then none at all," Aziza voiced her thoughts.

Yami was taken aback yet again. He knew he'd gain the power to hear the thoughts of flora and fauna, but he now could hear the thoughts of others as well? This divine puberty was extraordinarily weird yet wonderful metamorphism without a doubt.

Every now and then you were able to anticipate at what time the effects would emerge, yet other times you couldn't envisage them at all. In his mind, he'd began to quickly experience, for a second time, the first month of his Ascending nightmare. He watched in his mind helplessly over again the memories of this past month as they came violently flooding back.

He'd only if truth be told contemplate with two months till his 18th birthday left what would come to pass next as Ascending was different for each Divine Being. Only one fact was clear as crystal about all this. At precisely 10:30 a.m. March 18th, he'd fully Ascend, leaving childhood behind forever and become an adult at last. At what time his powers would truly be at their zenith and he'd be virtually an omnipotent godly being.

"I've got my own after-school volunteer job at the shelter. Plus me and Wakana are going on a picnic for dinner tonight, we're going to do some stargazing with her new telescope as well" Bakura replied languorously.

"Yeah, I've got to get ready for my Dungeon Dice Monsters Tournament that coming up in two weeks. Along with getting ready for this dinner, I'm making for this girl I met over the weekend. Yami, do you know what Mana favorite food is by chance?"

Yami turned away for a moment not like how everyone was looking at him. He wanted to answer the mundane inquire, nevertheless, Xanadu's food wasn't the same at all as the scrumptious Earth food. In fact, the only food he didn't like was like many other humans were many vegetables, practically broccoli.

He secretly was thinking that writer; K. A. Applegate was right in her book "Megamorph 2 Time of the Dinosaurs." In the paperback, the Animorphs had inadvertently been sent back to last age of dinosaurs due to a freak accident. They had discovered alien ants in addition to crabs fighting for authority amongst the dinosaurs. The crablike aliens had brought the disgusting green thing with them from their native world.

There is no way that something that tasted like a dandelion and looked that weird could possible evolved on this planet. Maybe he could find the answer with Shimon in the Archives, though he thought that never happen. Not with his father way of things.

"Uh, to tell you the truth you're better off surprising her. She likes surprises,"

"Hmm, well if you say so, Yami. Can you least tell me something of use?"

"She was recently adopted by one of my teacher's back home. So she doesn't like to dwell on what went before. She likes to have fun and is just a sweet young girl. She loves magic tricks. Now if you don't mind we need to get to our next class. Serenity I'd like to go with you. I've needed to redeem myself at the healing shrine in any case, for how I behaved the day before we obtain you," as one by one they discarded their oddments in the trash and returned their lunch trays.

"Yami, you sure going to the hospital is a good idea? You freaked very badly last time," Yugi asked in a concerned tone of voice as they headed off to there next class of, Math.

"What happens, last time?" asked Aziza even though she already guessed.

"I had a panic attack a bad one. I freaked out big time and kicked over a tray with some syringes on it when they tried to take my blood. I feel the honorable thing to do to atone for my less then acceptable behavior is go back and try at least a week time to make up for it,"

"Wisdom is knowing what path to take next. Integrity is taking it. Robyn Elpruhzlein. That's a quote about honor," Aziza said as they ran up two flights of steps to get to Math before the bell rang.

Far across town in the artificial Eden, the Vixens were receiving a very humiliating lecture from their Mistress Camille. She was very vociferously in addition to dramatical vilification them on their incompetence and that they wasted four bottles of her precious stash of Xanadu's Fireblood. It was an extremely rare wine and she had the only supply left. This drink taste was as renowned as that of the rare Star Candies.

For a first-timer, it would really knock you for a loop. Especially if you weren't completely Ascended. Now they still didn't have the Prince back, a month had gone by, and she was down four bottles. So she was pissed! Camille had been so enraged when the Vixens had given her their report last night that the plan had worked only halfway, she took her ferocity out on Cyclops, they ended up brawling for the rest of the day before the King put his foot down, literally!

Needless to say, the King wasn't happy with any of this. He had to 'sacrifice' two Divine Beasts. An Insect Queen in addition to a King Rex had been offered up as payment to entrap Atem. Both of them were incredibly powerful as well as devoted minions.

Not that he truly cared about that at all. They're enthusiastic to let him strip them of both magic along with immortally, in addition, to transform them into cards. They both agreed it was their duty to their magnificent sovereign and his ostentatious vision. He just was still extremely displeased his 'perfect world' was really beginning to get mucked up because of his cursed spawn need to revolt!

The Heart was now singing much louder in addition to that was still changing. It's no longer beat in time with his, own heart in his chest; furthermore, it cursed light made his eyes sore. He wished he could crush the cursed crystalloid magical heart to dust. Thus ending its infuriating melody as it song now was giving him a migraine; however, Hearts of any worlds where virtually indestructible to be physically destroyed.

"Pardon, me brother. But we've got a serious predicament," Aknadin told him at the same time as he emerged in an azure inferno. He had appeared behind his brother, who was gazing out the Starlight Tower's balcony window at his empire with repugnance fixed all over his features.

"Tell, me something that I don't know brother! Atem has successfully managed to evade our best pursers for a whole month. Not only that he passed the first stage of his Ascending, which is a miracle all its own considering the circumstance! Still doesn't matter what has been going on, that despicable chunk of rock where those monsters live must cease at once! I don't know what is thought-provoking my progeny in such a manner. On the other hand, we can't let it persist if we're to bring our dream to reality!"

"I fear then dear brother; I only bring more unwanted hearsay. From the up-to-the-minute intelligence received from Shimon and Kareem, we've had an additional predicament. Not only are those ungrateful brainless Divine Beasts still feeling a craving for an uprising with a strong hint of some of our kind wishing to join them I might add. But there been a rumor that has spread faster then wildfire. This is one rumor I don't think you're gonna like to hear,"

"You'd better not be about to utter what I presume you're going to utter. If you do say it I'll cut your tongue out then seal your mouth shut. You won't be able to dine on your precious sweets ever again," he warned with his magical staff glowing in a threatening manner.

"Then he won't say it, King Aknamkanon, I will! The whole city of Xanadu is talking about The Oracle of the Heart's Prophecy. They are saying that it's coming to pass, that they can 'feel' it! We can't let that happen. I think it's time we seriously start thinking about using the 'item' we've discussed if we can't get Atem's sorry ass back a week before he turns 18! If we're fruitless in that undertaking, our dreams will be devastated eternality!" Camille informed them unemotionally as they all glared with a great deal disdain at Earth.

Everyone was saying good-bye. They'll have brought spare clothes to school with them and had changed before going different ways for their leisure activates. Even Yugi and Yami had changed and where still dressing alike. They liked that it was fun for them. Aziza was happy to get out the uniform and she let her friends know it.

"God, the school has no sense of fashion! I can't even see my uniform, yet I know I look like a dork in it!" she grumbled as she exited the school with the boys.

"Yeah, I've got to say I see eye to eye with you, Aziza on that. School uniforms have much to be desired. I wish at times we could all wear whatever we wanted. I mean as long as it's not something so outrageous that you can't do your schoolwork in who cares? I mean clothes are merely just to protect us from the environment. Still, we could at least wear something with a bit more taste," remarked Yugi getting the door for them. The sunlight glistening on his gold jewelry.

"You're right, Little One. I mean there a hell of a lot more to care about then what stupid garments one chooses to clothes their bodies in. But anything got to be better then wearing the same thing day in and day out. That is just sad. Um, Aziza can I talk to you in private for a moment? Yugi, can you wait with Serenity, for a moment, please?"

"Sure, Yami. Don't be too long ok?" Yugi replied in a euphoric tone along with that special smile that made Yami heart skip a beat or two. Both of them for a moment could feel their hearts race with joy form the other.

As Yugi went to wait by the gate, Yami guided Aziza over to an ash tree for a private conversation. "You know Yami; I really think you'd enlighten him that you feel affection for him as what you truly are. I mean both yours along with his hormones plus endorphins are so high, I can smell them and trust me they are enough to take out a raging bull!"

"This isn't the times for jokes, Aziza. I've got a serious favor to ask of you,"

"One, Yami that wasn't a joke, I'm very serious. You've really had to be blind as a rhino, not to see that both you and Yugi have got the hots for each other! I mean you two are as discreet as a pair of horny toads, no offense."

"I thought the expression was "Blind as a bat?"

"Bats aren't blind. Fruit Bats see quite well and they have echolocation. Rhinos can't see two freaking' feet in front of them. Now back to my point about you and Yugi."

"I mean you too got real chemistry, the kind that doesn't blow up the sciences lab. I don't understand you, males, at all. It doesn't seem to matter where you're from, land, sea, or air or even time and place. When it comes to matters of the heart you'll chock big time," shaking her head for a moment,

"Look, Yami, please don't think I'm trying to be mean. I don't want too hurt your feelings or anyone in truth. It's just when you feel strongly about something the passionate affiliate with that area under discussion sometimes overpowers your better judgment. It can make you act like a real bitch or ass at times. The basic rule of life is you're not to talk about politics or religion,"

"Or Omi's dome," joked Yami making reference to something he had watched on TV.

They both broke out laughing. "Yeah, that's a good joke. Here another one. What house is always sick?"

Racking his brain for a moment he said, "I don't know, Aziza."

"A Green House, you know, because when you're sick you're 'green' around the gills? I made that joke up in the second grade at a Valentine Day Party. I believe in life no matter how serious or stress things out are you just need to laugh. So what do you wish of me, Mr. XY?"

"I'd like you to keep Yugi out of harm's way whilst I'm at the hospital with Serenity,"

"Me? You want me to protect Yugi? From what?" she asked stunned of the angelic being request. She could hear his heart racing and clenching and unclench as well as grinding his perfect teeth.

"I'm not an average 17-year-old kid, not just because of the wings. There are two groups after me. One is good and one is evil. This evil group is made up of three wicked ladies calling themselves "Vixens." They've proved just how lethal they can be, their ones who prearranged it so I get smashed! They're cold-blooded ruthless mischievous sprites! I believe they make Azula from Avatar their queen if that where possible!"

"I get the idea. So why do you want me to protect Yugi? Can't you do some sorta magic or something? I mean you can do magic right?"

"Yes I can do great magical feats, but let's just say I'm not in a position to use it in a helpful manner at the moment. Look Aziza, a month ago I'd believe a woman like you, was nothing more then a defective worthless organism that didn't deserve to the right to exist. That's what my father taught me in a rather undignified method. But after all, that happen in the past month, I've learned not to make an assumption, in addition, to never to underestimate a person,"

She blushes the same color as her chemise from his compliment. "Thanks, Yami. I never figured myself to be a role model if truth be told. I think I get where you're going nonetheless. You don't desire any harm to befall any of your friends. You know that the other group will keep their bargain with you and not do anything ignominious. On the other, on hand, you comprehend Yugi's life is the one in the most jeopardy by these Vixens,"

"Please keep him safe for me as well as yourself. I don't think they target my other friends at the moment. So please can you do this for me, Aziza?" he begged her in a breaking tone of voice. Aziza thought he was going to start crying but he didn't.

"I swear I'll keep an eye on Yugi and check on the rest of our gang while you're busy, ok? Keep on your toes and I'll do my best ok? I don't want anything to happen to Yugi. I love him dearly. Like I said this morning you two make it impossible not fall in love with you. Ok, we'll be at mall till it's time to pick you up from the hospital at 6:30 ok? Then will go back to the game shop for dinner, okay?"

"Thank you, Aziza," he said as he hugged her tightly. She returned the hug and began to realize a startling revelation. Wherever he hailed from in the skies above one thing was very obvious. Yami obviously never before had something or someone's he cared enough about to protect. It was almost as if he was experiencing love for the first time in his life. So the four them walk to the hospital and promised to call and check up later.

"C' mon Yugi, I want to get too Suncoast before it closes. I really hope they've got some new "Sailor Moon" DVDs. If not they're bound to have something else good as Suncoast is the best DVD store in the whole shopping center," Aziza remarked happily with a smile. However, she'd sense both young men were equally worried about the other. Furthermore, this façade of acting like it was ok wasn't holding up well. Still, she promised to keep Yugi safe and she planned to uphold that duty.

As they were rounding the bend Aziza's sharp hearing perceived something else. She heard the same sound; she first heard when she'd encounter Yami the other day. From the heartbeat, this was one of the virtuous souls he depicts, not the malicious Vixens.

It was, in fact, Isis, whom now the cursed contractual obligation had fallen upon on her somnolent shoulders. It was her turn to try and keep an eye on the young prince in this shrine of healing. She'd been following him from the time when he departed the Human Academy. It'd appear he'd developed an additional strong emotional relationship.

It was with a human female of great beauty yet apparently she lacked the ability to see. Isis had consulted her Item as soon as she first observes them chatting beneath an ash tree in the courtyard, for the answers she seeks and was taken by surprise by what she saw.

The Necklace revealed to her that they'd had met at that social gathering. She saved him from the Vixen's trap and spent the whole night getting the liquid poison out of his body She also obtain something that surprised her to the point she was rendered speechless. This young woman on her own had figure out Atem wasn't human yet didn't tell anyone. She'd tell Prince Atem had countless feelings towards this young female. Isis hoped she'd understand them herself one day.

For the meantime inside the hospital, both Yami, as well as Serenity, were at that moment being assigned their duties. Yami had come out an apologized for his previous visit less then stellar performance and he hoped a week work would atone his misconduct.

"Thank you for that apology. It came from the heart and was really meant. Anyone Yami can say "I'm sorry" yet only a few can really mean it. You along with Ms. Wheeler will be asked to do the following. Change the bedding, deliver meals, and interact with a few of the patients. Please if you need any help don't be afraid to ask. I'll check on you two later," Dr. Lake told them as she left to check the board.

It was simple work and very gratifying. Yet at the same time, he was really taking in the truth of what went on in these shrines of healing. At times ER, Strong Medicine, and Untold Stories of ER couldn't hold a candle to what went on. With the minor exception to Untold Stories; seeing how that TV program on TLC, was told by real doctors and patients who lived through some incredibly extraordinarily events. The hospital was without a doubt a place you by no means be bored to death at all.

By means of his new abilities, Yami was able to make the people much more comfortable as well as more contented. It was little things like making the food taste better, make the rooms ideal. Little things like that seemed to make a big difference. He admired how well Serenity did this job. He smiled when he saw her reading to some young kids in the pediatric section.

He turned up his I-pod listening to the song "I never had a dream come true" as he was heading off too deliver meals but stopped when he reached a corridor to the left. He suddenly felt a gravitate tug pulling him down this antechamber. He left the food cart and obeyed his feet which seemed to be walking without his say-so down this corridor till he came to the last room at the end.

He at a snail's pace pushed the door open and gazed his piercing amethyst eyes upon the chamber before him. The room was light green with a gold border and a matching carpet. The walls had strange trinkets adoring them. Two just caught his attention. One was a white glass cross with a gold heart with the word "Faith" inside and near that was a wooden one with a strange man on it. As he went further into the room he notices on a nightstand a tiny CD player with two small books next too them. One was black with a gold cross. The other was light yellow with a white chair and the title of it was "Everyday Prayers for Everyday Cares."

He flipped the book open and was reading the table of contents when he heard a small moan. He turned and saw a small child, a little girl about nine years of age asleep in a hospital bed. She looked like he had slept on that cloud at Harmony Bridge. As if she was trying to escape to the world of her memories and dreams. She was quite attractive, long golden red hair and the face of an angel. However, her skin was unusually pale.

The young girl had been aroused from her slumber by his movements. She woke up and turned to face him with a bit of surprise with her heavenly blue eyes. Still, she didn't seem frightened of him, rather happy to honest. With a smile, she spoke in a voice as beautiful as silver bells. "Hello, I wasn't expecting anyone other then the doctors. But it's nice to have someone visit me anyway. My name is Faith, Faith Hope Dreams. What is yours?"

"I'm Yami. A pleasure to meet you, Faith,"

"Would you like to play a game of Uno? I've haven't had anyone to play with since my parents died a while ago. You look like someone who needs to get something off you're chest and this could help some," she asked shyly to him.

"Sure, though I'm better at Duel Monsters. But I liked to learn new things,"

"Great um can you turn on the CD player. I liked to hear some music,"

"Ok,"

As soon as the CD started playing he heard extraordinary yet breathtaking music. It was unlike anything he'd heard of before. It all seemed to be center around two reoccurring names "God" and "Jesus" yet all the songs was something you could dance to and were fun.

"Who sings this? What is this?"

"This was a CD made by a pastor in North Caroline named Pastor Paul Cummings. He wrote, performed and produced this whole CD. He sent a copy to The Sanctuary of Souls, the multi-religion church my family belongs too. This church takes in all religions on Earth. It's right here in Domino actually," she told him as she flimsily tried to shuffle the cards but couldn't.

"Here let me," he said as he noticed her necklace. On a sliver, the chain was a maiden with gold wings and a diamond skirt holding a heart with a cross in it.

"That's my guardian angel. It's been in the family for a very long time. Oh, I love this song,"

"I know there is healing in the blood of the lamb. Comfort for the broken and the hurting of this land. Come now all you burdened with the pain of this world. And He will give you rest. Stretch out your arms to the one who gives you life. Lay all your sorrows at the cross of Jesus Christ. Come now all you suffering in silence through the night. And He will hear your cry. He will hear your cry. Take me as I am broken and bleeding Warp me in Your love. Your presence I'm needing. Wrap me in Your love so pure hold me in your arms and I will endure. Hold me in Your healing arms Touch me Lord make me whole."

"Uh, little tidbit here. This is my 22-year-old brother Kyle Pastor CD. I got the lyric book right in front of me. That isn't exactly how the song goes but I've got to write what the lyrics say. So yeah a great deal of what you've read has been pulled right from my life. Me I'm not overly religious yet it's good music,"

As they played Uno they did talk. Faith was a very good listener but also for one so young she was wise beyond her years. She was a bit puzzled that Yami didn't believe in anything.

"So what is that you believe in, Yami?" she graciously asked him at the same time as she placed a red 6 on a green one.

"We don't have a genuine formal religious conduct back in my homeland. I've never heard of this "God" or "Jesus" before this wonderful music talked about them.

"Your body is my bread, Your blood is my wine, In Christ, I'm made complete. I am sustained time after time. I'll trust You, though the road is rough and long. I'll seek You. Lord let Your kingdom come. I'm seeking You first, I'm at the gates of Your Kingdom. I'm running too You, my God. There is nothing I need that you've not provided. I'm seeking You, first my God. Through every season Lord, You're the tie that always binds. Things on earth come and go but You are constant by my side I'll trust You, though at times You make me wait. I'll seek You, Cause I know You only do it to increase my faith. You have the heavens with your hand. With a word, You made the seas and land. You have given me this very breath and I trust You Jesus in life and death!"

Isis was watching silently as the prince continued to have a discussion with this child. She found the music very pleasurable and the scene before her was very adorable in her navy eyes. It appeared to Isis that people were drawn to the prince like a magnet and vice versa.

"So I ran away from home. I wished to escape that life. But I still feel I'm trapped. Yet ever since coming to this city, I felt like I've been reborn. Still, I feel my insides are in a torrent of fury that I'm so lost in the dark I cannot find the light that will lead me up and out of this storm,"

"You've merely lost your way. I believe that it's harder for you to find your way on the path of life because you don't believe in anything. One must always have faith, hope and believe in something or you're truly lost in life. Only our individual faith in freedom can keep us free, Dwight D. Eisenhower"

"Are you saying that I'd believe in this "God?"

Before Faith could reply a voice spoke up from behind them. "There you're Yami. Dr. Lake was wondering where you disappeared off too. C'mon on our shift ended half an hour ago. Joey and the rest are waiting outside," Serenity told him kindly. "Hello,"

"Hello,"

'I must be going Faith,"

"I understand, promise you'll return tomorrow?" she said as if she was going to cry.

He walked over to her the stroked her face. With a small hug he told 'I shall return tomorrow to spend with time with thee thy maiden of Faith," he promised her as he left.

"Um, could you hang back a moment, Yami? I forgot my back bag at the desk," Serenity told him as she ran back inside to get her bag and right into Dr. Lake.

"Hello Ms. Wheeler, I liked to congratulate you on a job well done,"

"Thank you for your kind words. I did find where Yami disappeared off too. He was in room 208 with a young girl,"

"208? On 4th floor left corridor?" Dr. Lake said in an uneasy tone.

"Yes that the one. Why? Is something wrong?"

"That's where the private rooms are located for terminal ill patients who don't have long to live. We make them as comfortable as possible, so they can be at peace when their time comes. The girl in that room, Faith has leukemia. I hope Yami doesn't get too attached too her. From her latest labs, she is going to die very soon. It's extremely heartbreaking that her parents can't be here for her. They're among those who died in that freak gas explosion at the gift shop next to the bus depot last month,"

"That is heartbreaking, yet no should've to die alone. Maybe while he works here this week he could spend the time with her?"

"Good idea. I'll tell him tomorrow. See you two then,"

Serenity left knowing that her brother and Tristan had promised to make her sushi for dinner that night. Yami, on the other hand, was now even more confused about this world then ever. He didn't say much as they all had dinner in the living room and watched a few of the DVDs that Aziza had brought over. He was just confused by how empty he did feel as it was true. He didn't really believe in anything.

In view of the fact that his Ascending seemed to have reached a point of impermanent stability, so he for this week he didn't have to worry so much about that at least for the moment. He was elated to learn the Court was alright. Isis had called him around 9:30.

She'd had assured him that they're alright and she found his concern touching. They'd managed to get inside to the party but every attempt to try and make contact had been rebuffed by one of the Vixens. They'd end up having to try and keep the humans safe and left around the time he had. When Isis had asked the prince about the girl he seemed to have bonded with he got very quiet.

"Prince Atem? Are you still here?" she asked after a few silent moments.

'She is very special. Her name is Aziza and she is the most extraordinarily human I've met aside from Yugi. With just one look I felt this instant bond that I can't explain at all. Do you've anything else to ask or say?"

"Well Mana been extremely in high spirits since Saturday and she had a wonderful time with that debonair youth Duke. Mahado is going through "Protective Daddy" phase but in general, we're ok. We haven't heard much from your father. I believe he locked himself in the health spa to blow off steam in a steam bath,"

"Look I can't get away without taking Yugi. So can we not see each other tonight, please? He very tired and I don't want to wake him. I swear will meet soon this week,"

"We'll make one exception this week. And it's probably for the best you rest up anyway now that you've cleared Stage One of Ascending," she replied soothingly over the phone.

"Stage One?"

"Yes, there are three parts to Ascending. Like humans own puberty it happens gradually over time. You've gone all the way through stage one. Power fluxes, spontaneous outburst, executing inner pain. In essence in this phase, your body is being beleaguered by all the changes hitting you simultaneously. Following the first month, these powers begin to start getting organized. In addition to that the new abilities, as well as other changes, come in a more discreet manner. In the final phase, it all comes together as everything falls into place. Then each Divine Being undergoes their, own unique Ascending transformation in private. It's a moment of great pain and pleasure when you reach your zenith and become an adult,"

"What does that have to do with me right now? Why should I rest up?"

"Because, Prince Atem, there is a very small window of time between each phase where you've neutrality. You'll need all the strength you can get because when it returns it will be far worse then the previous one. So if you call us twice a day while you rest up and I continue to keep an eye on you at the Healing Shrine I say that will sufficed,"

Yami spent the rest of the week talking with Faith and the little girl was truly special. She had many wise words to say and things to think about. She taught him all religion truly was each person own interruption of what faith and hope where. That what matters that you believe that something good could come, no matter how bad things got. It didn't matter how you prayed to God. It just matters you believed in something to get your through life.

It was Saturday and he woke up early way early. The sun hadn't even come up but he felt Faith calling him. So he ran quickly to the hospital. It was if she was excepting him. She had a small gift warped up for him. "Hello Yami. I was praying that you come. Especially today,"

"What's the matter Faith? I know you're sick but you're going to get better that why you're here in this place of healing. Why are you so sad?"

"I wanted to say good-bye. I want to thank you for answering my prayers. I'm not as religious as my family is. I believe in Heaven and Hell along with God and Devil. As much as I taught you it what grew up with. It became very hard for me to believe for a long time,"

"Faith?"

"Two years ago I was diagnosed with leukemia. I responded to chemo for a while but after a while, it did no good and I learned I was too die before I lived a decade. My parents assured me that no matter what my fate was I wouldn't die alone. They promised God himself would send an angel to escort me to Heaven's Light. They promised they be here so I wouldn't be alone and they make sure my angel came. However, I all but gave up on that hope. When they died in that gas explosion at the gift shop next to the bus station last month," she told him like beads of moisture fell from her eyes.

He knew in his guts that the Vixens had robbed this beautiful little angel dying wish. Now he understood why he been drawn to her. To fulfill the promise her late parent's made to their child.

"I'd wanted to give you my things. Because you've been there for me in my final week of life. I'm glad we got to know each other and I've done one good thing in my short lifespan. Here give this letter to Pastor Jacobs at The Sanctuary of Souls, please. The only thing I wish I could do before I die was just tell my parents that I'd loved them. In life the only thing more the having faith is being with people you love. It's important to let them know it," she told him as she removed her necklace and put it around his neck. "I hope you find your angel or if your lucky two,"

"Faith, I thank you for all you've given me. Now I will grant thy last wish," he said as he removed his jacket and undid the magical harness and let his wing expanded to the full length.

"Yami? You're an angel?" she stuttered in disbelief as she touched his wings. He sat in her bed cradling and sang in native tongue sharing all the really beautiful miracles. By the time the sun had fully risen, she'd had passed dying happy.

He gently placed her deceased body on the bed. For a moment he just stood there in amazement. This was truly the first time he really experienced real death. Not what his father did but simply death. He quickly hid his wings and then ran to the roof. He knew they had a garden and he wanted to be alone in it. Though it wasn't long till Serenity came and found him. Though it was early she too had sensed this event would come and pass.

"What is the point of living if you're going to die?" he asked her as he looked at the sun.

"Yami, death isn't easy to explain. It's the ultimate fairness because everyone does die. But the thing about death is just because you're the corporal form is gone doesn't mean your heart won't live on. The soul lives on forever as does the feelings and memories. No one can be truly sure what lies behind the grave but we do know as long as we celebrate the life that was lived then they'll never be gone. But grieving takes time and that is something only you can figure out on your own. Just know you're never alone,"

He looked at her for moment, then looked at tag on the box it read, "To Yami, thank you for everything, I give this last words of wisdom, "Hope to see the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible, anonymous," He opened her prayer book and read out loud one of the prayers that Faith had highlighted for him. It was called "When I fear Death,"

"For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building, from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, 2. Corinthians, 5:1

"Father, you promised me life eternal. When the fear of death pushes in around me, I remember that You have conquered death and destroyed its power in my life. Though I may suffer the loss of my mortal life, You have promised me that eternal life is waiting beyond the earthly grave. In Heaven, I will enjoy everlasting life, devoid of sorrow and I will walk in Your presence forever along with family and friends. Thank You for the promise of this eternal life that was purchased for me by Your own precious Son,

Amen.

"Yami?"

'I've got to go give Faith's Pastor this letter. Thank you, Serenity for helping me. Both you and Faith have taught me a great deal this week," he said as he hugged her for a moment before disappearing. A small zephyr blew some feathers in Serenity face as he left.

As he rapidly descended the stairs he began to make some serious phone calls. He called Aziza and told her to get Yugi and pick up a few items and meet him at the Sanctuary of Souls. Then he called the Court and told them to meet him at the church as well.

He knew the Vixens were following him thanks to Seto's spell. He knew they just wanted to see where they're going. He was able to use his powers to delay them enough for everyone to get to the church. Then he smiled with great satisfaction when the Vixens tried to step foot on the huge church and its blessed and holy soil.

It was really funny to watch them look like fools and be a pain. Faith had told him no evil of any kind could trespass on this land. Seeing how this church was made up of every religion on the planet it had been blessed and protected so neither the Vixens nor his Father could see what was about to happen.

He went inside the beautiful church and soon found the office he sought after. He knocked and was allowed to enter.

A man mid-forties with gray hair beard looked up at the young prince. He was in his formal clothing and was just signing a few papers. "Excuse me, Pastor Jacobs? My name is Yami. I'm a friend of Faith Dreams,"

"Faith? Oh, it's been so long since I've seen her. She's such a vibrate and happy young girl. It's a true trudged that befallen her and her family. How is she?"

"She passed away this morning. I was there with her as she breathed her last breath. She died knowing someone loved her and she won't be forgotten. She wanted me to give this to you. I sure it's the funeral arrangements her family intended for her. I was also hoping if you do me two favors, Pastor," he said nervously.

"For anyone who there for a child in pain I do anything. What do you wish, Yami?"

"I'd greatly be honored if you'd baptize me, sir. Right now please,"

Taken back a bit but he got ready too does it? Retrieving his bible and holy water from the other room he came back and saw the young man had wings!

"Please don't tell anyone about these wings but I want to baptize with these showing. It would mean a great deal to me and it would be a way to forever stick it to my father," he explained.

'Well this first time in history anyone baptized an angel," but he read the words of the Lord in Latin and baptized the Prince of Xanadu.

Now the second request Yami had, could have been labeled, bold, sweet, caring, crazy and suicide all at the same time. Right now Yugi and Yami were in one room with Seto and Mahad and the girls where in the other.

Mahad was very nice when Yami introduced him too Yugi. He could see quite easily for himself what the Prince found so irresistible about the young boy. Yugi was very nice and kind though a tad weirded out by Yami's almost 20-year-old cousin looked like Kaiba. He did observe each of them had a gold Item of some kind with them.

"Cousin I hope you're hunch is right otherwise we'll be severely punished for this," Seto as he pinned a flower to his chest.

"Trust me, cousin this is the one place we can get away with this and Father won't be able to do shit about it. You ready Mahad?" as he finished getting him ready.

"I've been ready for this for a very long time, Yami,"

"Here if you're going to do your duties, Seto, you'll need this," Yugi said as he placed a dark blue heart-shaped velvet box in the brunette's hand.

They quickly went out to the Sanctuary chamber where Pastor Jacobs was waiting. Aziza along with Mana had left the chamber already. Aziza along with Yami and Yugi stood off slightly to the side. Mana who had a beautiful headdress and matching bouquet could barely contain herself for what was about to happen.

The wedding march began to play as the doors opened and in came Isis. Though she lacked a wedding dress she still looked stunning. Yami had Aziza and Yugi stop by Lilypads and get what they could for a wedding. They'd done a great job without a doubt. The three of them would be the witness and Seto best man and Mana Maid of Honor.

The ceremony was short yet it was one of the most beautiful things Yami had ever seen. As Mahad and Isis at long last after eons became man and wife. He was pleased that he was able to make their dream come true. They chose to dance to 'From this moment on,"

After a brief conversation that made it clear they're thankful and that it was a pleasure to meet both Yugi and Aziza. They said they would arrange it best they could to speak with them in the safest manner possible.

The three of them left to go to Aziza's home. She needed their help getting the Art Gallery set up for when her parents got home that night from Tokyo. "Weddings always make me cry. That was very sweet indeed, Yami." Aziza said as she unlocked the door.

"It was nothing," he said then whispered to her "Thanks for keeping Yugi safe, Aziza,"

"You're welcome. Um, I'll go get us some soda. Yugi you've done this once before can you help Yami out?"

"Sure, c' mon Yami and be vigilant. A lot of this stuff is very important and worth a lot. One of Aziza's stepmom paintings was bought by Maximillian Pegasus for $25.0000!" informed him as they began to clean the place up.

"Wow, that's a lot of money for a drawing. I wonder what it was of. Wait a sec, stepmom? You're parents divorced, Aziza?" Yami asked as she came in with some soda.

"No my parents aren't divorced. They loved one another quite dearly in fact. My birth mom Efra who was a nurse at the hospital, she died when I was four because of tuberculosis. My father Samir a motivate speaker fell into a deep depression from losing her then he met an angel who healed his heart as he did to her and they got married,"

"Here a photo of the day I was born. That me with my parents," she said as flipped open her wallet. Even a blind person need id. Yami was amazed by the picture itself and the thing is covered in. It was lamented but when he touched it was as if he was touching the very item in the picture.

"You've looked just like your mother," he said as they continued to get things ready.

"Thanks actually TexLam was her idea. She figures out a way to lament different things yet when you touched them you really feel them as well as everything else so posters and photo for those with vision disadvantage can see them better. Mom uses that a bit with her art. She is just the art prodigy with all she able to pull off," she as they finished cleaning and could now set things up.

They came to a door that had a wooden plaque on it. Yami stared at for a few moments in amazement. It was carved in the shape of a beautiful winged maiden. The maiden had long wavy brown hair with almond-shaped green eyes with sparkling rainbow angel wings. She wore blue deserted garb with a pink wraparound sash with a chocker. But she was holding the Heart of Xanadu! Carved inside was the most beautiful penmanship ever was something that appeared to be long forgotten poem from his childhood.

"The Oracle of the Heart's Prophecy"

"Listen well to what I tell if you wish to save the world that fell. When a child born of dark and light descend from the heavens to the world of beauty and might. When a child who holds the purity of mortals within his soul, saves thy child of skies will is the healing on the rise. When two hearts beat as one their special song will bring the light and the true Xanadu born anew,"

That's something Dad made for Mom when he made this special room just for so she'd do her art in peace. I think it's a rather pretty poem. Come one we need to seriously kick up a notch to get this all set up before seven.

It didn't take long for Yami to realize whoever did all this art was someone who knew of Xanadu. All the paintings, sculptures everything was of his world. That when he got the shock of his life. He had come to the last painting needs to be moved and was shocked.

"Yami what's wrong you sound like you've seen a ghost. The way your heart beating," Aziza came in with Yugi who understood what shocked Yami. "Aziza this painting it looks like Yami! On with wings!" Yugi exclaimed as he looked at the painting.

"Uh," she ran her hand over the Braille title. "Self Portrait of the Prince of Xanadu." This must be the one Mom wouldn't let Dad or I find out about. She has been working on this one painting in all free time for the past 14 years.

Before anyone could say anything else the bell rang above the front door, and a male voice called "Basest! Basest we're home!"

"Daddy! We'll be right there. C'mon." Aziza ran straight to her father. He was a tall man with huge purple eyes with gold pupils' and longish dark blackish brown hair.

"I thought you and mom weren't getting back from the conference for another hour!"

"We got an early flight in, lucky us. You did a great job getting the gallery set up, I'm pleased,"

"Well, I'd help," as Yugi and Yami came in at the same time as did one more. Aziza's stepmom came in and was looking right at Yami as he was both of their hearts froze for a moment. It was if they were looking at a mirror with their faces virtually indicial except one had pierced purple eyes the other teal.

"Yami?"

"Mom?!"


	12. My Wish

My Wish"

"This one is dedicated to all the Mothers in the world. They carry you for almost a year inside them and put up with the shitty insanity we give them once we get out of them! Yet no matter what they will die to save you! If you can please check out a picture on my Deviant Art Account titled called "Mother's Day" If my link isn't working I suggest you go to someone's who does like Agent-G on my Favorite Author List. Then type into the search at the site for Aziza and Atem and that will most defiantly give a shit load of my art then just click my name go from there."

"I like to say this also if I could choose anyone to voice Samira I'd choose Jen Kohn. She did Ursa Zuko's Mom and I thought she was extremely good. Me I wish to be a voice actress one day and I was told by professional that I was the most naturally talented person they ever met! Who'd voice Aziza? Me! She along with all my other OC girls from my other stories or I hold dear are in my mind voiced by me! Because each of them is a part of me and who I wish I could be! So let's continue shall we?"

For a few moments, no one spoke a word, everyone breath was at a standstill. All five hearts all but stopped beating from the event occurring. Samira was gazing at her son and Yami was gazing at his mom. There was no doubt they're mother and child. Same beautiful unique tricolor tresses, same sexy features, same body type, despite the fact that his mom was slightly taller but only a little.

She could've been Yami if a gender-bender had been done on him. Only her eyes were different. While their eyes were the same shape as well as, both possessed that piercing quality to them, he was pools of melted amethyst hers were the perfect mix of blue and green, there's teal. Samira's favorite colors were teal and turquoise. Furthermore, she looked extraordinarily ravishing when she wore them because they complemented her so well.

Finally, she spoke in a voice that seemed to be of an angel of dreams. "Yami," as beads of moisture welled up in her lovely eyes. Her smile was the same one that made all the girls in the universe fall insanely in love with Yami.

"Mommy,"

They fell into each other arms and cried. Well, Samira was the one crying, Yami was indeed over the moon to see her yet wasn't crying. Despite the fact, it looked like he wanted to weep beads of euphoric moistures from his eyes.

Yugi found these both emotive as well as concerns at the same time. He'd known Yami for a month and he'd told him when they met his mom was dead. So someone just told a big lie to him. An extremely heartless lie at that! How could you tell a child their mom was dead? Or worse tell them they'd been slaughter? How does one live like that? Yami had told him in secret that his mom had been murder.

So while he was extremely exhilarated for Yami finding out his mom was alive. It still was a bit disturbing he wasn't crying like a baby. He felt a bit dumb too for not making the connection. After all, he'd known Aziza's stepmom as long as he had known her. Just the same he was extremely jubilant for Yami, so he shed the tears that he couldn't for him.

Aziza was also dumbstruck, yet for a few more reasons then Yugi. Yami was her BROTHER! She'd know all her life that Samira wasn't a normal woman. She wasn't lying when she'd told the boys that an "Angel" had saved her beloved father and he'd done the same to her. But she still hadn't guessed that Samira was Yami's mom!

How was she going to explain to her mom, she'd encounter her brother at a rave? Then spend the night getting him sober? More to the point how were she and Yami going to now act with each other? She loved Samira just as much as her real mom Efra, so informing her son was inebriated wasn't something she was looking forward to doing!

Samir, on the other hand, was smiling a small smile. For so long despite they'd had a good marriage and Aziza was a wonderful young woman, it didn't stop the one thing that made his beloved Angel of Dreams cried every night to sleep. She'd told him she'd had a son and she loved him more then anything else. So when she had chosen to become his wife he truly understood how distraught she was that she couldn't save him. It looked like her prayer was finally answered.

Yami had forgotten about everyone else. He wasn't an immortal prince or a 17-year-old high school teenager at that moment. He was once more the little boy he'd had been in the gardens outside the Palace playing blithely with his mommy until the end of time there to make him smile and laugh.

Samira herself was happier then she'd been in a very long time. Still, she knew that she and Yami had to have some time alone. There was a great deal to talk about and also she just wanted to have him to herself for a couple of hours. So getting out of the hug she fished her wallet out and pulled out $25 dollars and handed them to her husband.

"Samir, please be so kind and take Aziza and Yugi out to get some ice cream at Twisty Scoop and maybe get a DVD at 2nd Cinema, please? Yami and I have a lot to catch up on. Oh, Yugi is it alright if I call your grandfather and tell that Yami is going to spend the rest of the weekend with us? You can stay too if you want. I'll inflate the airbed for you,"

"Sure that's fine it more then fine! Um, Yami I'm really happy for you! We'll bring back something special to watch ok?" as the three left leaving mother and son alone.

"Oh, Yami! I've dreamed for 14 years of holding you in my arms once more. Now that I've, I don't want to let you go again. My you certainly filled out in all the right places, Yami,"

"Mom you don't know how much it means to me. To see you, standing and smiling means to me. I have for the last 14 years thought you were dead! Murdered! Tricked into giving up your beautiful wings of immortally and then killed! I've missed you more then you will ever know!" he proclaims to her as he fell back into her arms just to hear her heart beating.

"I've missed you more then you'll ever know, Yami, my little angel," as her tears descended upon her son's face.

It was plain as the nose on your face that Yami got his looks from his mom who herself was by far extraordinarily sexy as well. Both of them made your hormones in addition to endorphins hit the roof go past the moon. It'd be safe to say if prostrations weren't illegal, countless people would pay all the money in the world to sell them their virginity or have a night out on the town with the same with Yugi! Damn were they smoking!

"We need to talk, Yami. There is much to say. I've got questions and I'm positive you've them too. If you come with me to the kitchen, I'll make us something to snack on. I've learned when you're about to tell a long story it's best to have refreshments handy,"

"You're right about that, Mom. Food is great comforter; just don't overindulge on it. Still, almost all the food and drinks of this world are by far better then all the carp that is served back home, in Xanadu! You'd think magical food would taste better then sawdust and paste together. With the exception of vegetables, Earth food is wicked awesome! They tie when it comes to the foul taste of Xanadu foods!" Yami remarked sarcastically as he followed his mom to the kitchen.

He was feeling the same basket of overflowing emotions that he was sure she was feeling at that moment. Still, as much as they were overjoyed to see one another it didn't change the fact this still was a very awkward moment for both of them.

He saw his mom get out a Magic Bullet. He'd seen publicize a lot on channel 22, TV Guide Channel. He'd thought it was a rather cool and nifty device, but the cost was ridiculed absurdly as was everything else in life. Apparently, his mom didn't mind spending $99.00 dollars.

While she was busy mix something up, he took a look around the kitchen. Last time he was in it for five minutes to make some blood up. He'd had to admit the "Blue Blood" taste great though the rest weren't bad either. He was just looking in how the kitchen blended with Efra clever way to help her daughter around the house and his mom owns unique touch at things.

He was admiring the unicorn suncatcher in the window when he stepped on something soft. This something screeched at the top of their voice and he jumped as a cat darted away and onto the island. Then hissed once and leaped out of sight under the microwave spilling a lot of bottles and other contents.

"I'll get it!" he told his mother as she turned to see what the racket was. He quickly began to clean up the mess. He then picked up one of the amber colored bottles and read the label. "Dr. Atul Sheth. Aziza Keeper: Blue Depakote ER, Take 1 tablet twice a day." Yami quickly read the other four bottles over. All of them had the same doctor and Aziza name but after that was different.

"White Depakote: 1 tablet at Bedtime, Lithium Carb: 1 in the morning and two at bedtime, Guanfacine: take one twice a day, Trazodone: One at Bedtime."

"Mom is Aziza in poor health?" he inquired worryingly at the same time as she finished making them their drinks. She set the serving dish on the counter and looked at the bottle of Trazodone in her son's hand.

"She is no sicker then you or me. But like all of us, she's her own inner problems. She isn't just simply blind. I can tell you see she by far surpass everyone impression she's a helpless little doll. She by far kicks ass and is proud of it! But she has something else that hurts her only this can't be seen by the eye. Only Yugi knows this and he kept it secret for her."

"What berates my sister soul?" he demanded to his mom.

"She's bipolar. Trust me mental illness isn't very well understood or treated well. The best I'm able to word this is, that she has very intense and extreme emotions but has no real middle ground and normal mundane things are a little harder for her. People have for long times have belittled people with mental illness even if some of the most well know and respect people had it. Still, if you tried to obtain Social Security, it is harder to get because they can't see what's wrong. Come let's talk on the roof. I wish to see the sunset and gaze at the stars."

"Did I hurt the cat? He not coming out from under there,"

"Oh, Tess? She's fine a little skittish but nice. She'll come out when she ready. Just leave some cat treats in her dish and show her you're a friend,"

So he left the cat some food and followed his mom to the roof. She handed him the drinks along with a bag of Cheetohs. Followed by her unrolling a beautiful quilted blanket and laying it out for them. Then they sat down and begun to talk about things that need to be said.

"So do you want to go first or should I?" she asked as she wiped her crimson-stained lips. She turned too looked at Yami whose face was covered in the bright orange of the Cheetahs. Giggling she handed him a moist towel to wipe his dashing smile off with.

"Gomenasai, Mom. I'm a prince, I outta remember my manners,"

"Yami you're not just a prince and if you like junk food go ahead get a little dirty. Just wash your hands before touching something ok?"

"Thanks, Mom,"

"I'll go first and tell you my tale. Time for us to begin our journey to the past,"

"Long before you're born or the Xanadu City was built, I was happily living with my parents and was just enjoying life. I'd had parents who loved me for me. True friends and I was content. I didn't yearn for what I couldn't possess. I didn't do things the easy way, you know just snap my fingers. I liked to struggle and fall down. I liked learning through trial and error. My parents taught me right. If I was bad I was punished accordingly, if I was good I got an appropriated reward. My parents would've been portrayed as having a very "Mortal Method" when it came to child rearing."

"I've never met my grandparents of either side. Father's are dead as I'm sure yours are as well. But I believe you're parents did an extremely excellent job with you, Mom." Yami told her proudly which caused her to blush the color of her braids.

"Thank you, Yami. I owe a great deal of whom I am to my father. He was very important to me and taught me a great deal of wisdom. Not that my mother wasn't a very wonderful soul, she was the one who bestowed to me many of my talents like painting and gracefulness come from her. All the same, I was closer to my father. He taught me how not to be a stupid brain-dead doll that I was supposed to be when I wed your father. I dreaded that day all of my first 18 years,"

"There is very little to nothing good to say about Aknamkanon. The only thing I ever think, I loved about him was his eyes. I loved the color of his eyes. Such a beautiful color and he gave them to you. But unlike his eyes that are portals to worlds worse then Hell, your eyes see good in people, they find help and they show the way out of the dark," she told him as she gazed at his eyes.

For a moment despite the fact that his eyes did come from his father, he was delighted that their color was so inspirational. They both inhaled their drinks and then she continued to narrate her tale of her past to him.

"As I stood by and watched as the rising insanity overtook our people. How easily the mayhem and chaos replace the once simple and passive realm. How in next to no time all children were born with the seeds of evil already thickly weeded inside their damn souls before they even left the womb. To be brought into a world were the rotting carnage was so massive you couldn't take a step without staining yourself with the bloody souls of the corruption fools! A small number of-of us sensed in our way why the Heart was allowing this universal holocaust to continue. But try and tell anyone you'd be dead before you could utter a breath."

"Those nightmares still plague my mind every night. Watching as friends and family turned on each other to make an effort and achieve more of the chimera of power! War is worse then Hell my son and if the price to have peace must be paid in blood of the living when people, whether they're immortal or mortal, will stop fighting pointless battles with their brethren and act as one race?" she asked him as well as the heavens above at the same time as the stars emerged in the skies to frolic in the night.

"But that was eons ago, Mother. What does the fall of Xanadu have to with right now?" he inquired her inquisitively. He didn't understand why this was important or what it had to do with him. He wanted answers this instant! After 14 years of mendacity in addition to mistreatment in any form conceivable, he was extremely fed-up!

"Don't be so impatient, my son. I know they say "patience is a virtue" but it's got to be the hardest to master. Do you evoke the day of my wedding anniversary to your 'Father?" Samira inquired him resentfully at the same time as she played with his colorful locks.

"April 9th why?"

"I was forcefully wedded to Aknamkanon the same day Xanadu come to an end. As well as the Heart finally stopped beating altogether, and our world lost the ability to be able to continue living. As the final crack of dawn came I was forced to check out the poisoned words "I do. I wanted to spit at him as I said those cursed words. Call it female intuition and just good common sense, but I knew this was only the beginning of something far worse then a self-induced apocalypse that was going on around us."

"We're wedded by Shadi underneath the Heart. When it was obvious the world was about to end. As my first act as the new Queen, I flew to the Heart, to retrieve whatever salvageable fragment of the Heart I could get. I flew faster then all the Comet Stallions combined. When I was eye to eye with the Heart it gave one giant burst of light and the Oracle appeared,"

"The Oracle? I don't retain information very much on the Oracle, I'm afraid. On the other hand, I vaguely commit to memory you telling me the Oracle, is like the soul of the Heart. That she only appeared in the time of great stress. To speak in our language to tell us something of importance,"

He was surprised by this little bit of information. This wasn't part of the anecdote told to the inhabitants of the Xanadu City when they spoke of their origins. But he knew if his father lied about his mother's 'death' then he was capable of a lot more foul acts then Yami thought possible. He knew looking at his mom teal eyes; she wasn't lying about this experience.

'Yes. Prior to Xanadu falling, she materialized right in front of me. Of course, all of whom where going to live to tell the tale of the looming kismet heard her words as well. Yet I felt no I knew she was talking if truth be told to me. She spoke in her angelic voice "The Oracle of the Heart's Prophecy" That you can see was made into a commemorative inscription for my studio. She then handed me the Heart's heart. Placed my hands over it and put too the one in my chest. She kissed my forehead and hands and vanished,"

"I then gave the Heart to my new husband who put it in that cursed prison he flashes around is neck in such a boastful manner it's not funny. He had recently completed Ascending and used his new ostensible 'omnipotent' powers to encase all of the 150 survivors in a magical energy sphere, our lifeboat you could say. We took one last fleeting look at our world perished in a blaze of blood-spattered inferno,"

"I've never heard anyone back home talk about what happened this way. I mean I know what passed, yet you're not afraid to tell the details that others seemed to be unable to voice. I've read war is repulsive but what happened from what you say, I feel as if I walked through something worse then death," he turned away for a moment to look at his hands in a funny manner.

"Yami?"

"When we where setting up things tonight, I saw first hand the evils we committed in the magnificent as well as the breathtaking work you've completed. What we've done seems beyond atonement. Yet I've read and seen some of the evils of Earth and that Park I went to with Aziza and Yugi, I know evil is one choice to commit. However, it still not easy to live knowing that you've got the blood and dirt of others like you staining your hands and your soul. That is something no amount of showers will cleanse you of,"

"You've grown very wise, my little angel. Your sire along with many of the other Ascended didn't comprehend this simple fact Yami. Just because we'd by a hair's breadth escaped a ruined universe didn't mean the evil that eradicates it hadn't followed us. We'd just begun a very long trek, an odyssey all the way through a whole new universe that had just been born,"

"It was a very long and difficult time. Some of the people to escape the fallen Xanadu were merely children. Just young and saw the most horrible things ever imaged. I along with a few others attempted to a comforter and help these young children. One I tried to help had seen something no little girl or anyone should've to see. Her name was Oralee and she was just 3 years old. She was a lovely dancer who possessed a very nice voice as I recall. She'd witness her own parents turn on each other and ripped the other's beating heart out so they could've had the other power," shaking her head for a moment as she thought back to such heartbreak for that sweet child unaware what that name was doing to her son.

For Yami, this was a startling eye-opener. Oralee was Mana's biological mother who'd shunned her and abandons her. This left Mana to have a very atrocious childhood till Mahad and Isis saved her. Now it seemed to make a little but not a lot of sense if Mana 'mother' had seen something that horrible it would scar her for life.

"I was braiding her long chestnut tresses trying to help her through her trauma. I was just getting her too open up and speak for the first time since that horrible event. But then Aknamkanon grabbed me by the wrist hard and yanked me away,"

"What was that for, my husband? I'm trying to help the poor child. She's been through much and needs someone right now!"

"You're the Queen and as Queen, you can't soil yourself with the problems of those beneath you! Beside her along with all the others of our kind need to toughed up! If we allow ourselves to be drag down by silly as well unnecessary emotions will be extinct! If she can't grow up and forget the past then she doesn't deserve to live forever! Beside as immortal who cares about the past anyway! It will be soon a forgotten memory!" he said as he tightens his grip on her.

"Let me go! I may be your wife but I'm still a person who does care about our people! How can you be so cruel to your own kind? It doesn't matter who or what you are if you been through something very traumatic you've to talk about it or it will destroy you from within!"

"You call me cruel? I prefer to see it as kindness. I can't condole ever little brat! We must be strong and work together if we are to rebuild what we've lost. I plan one day to reclaim all that was lost. One beautiful perfect universe that will be ten times the one we lost was! And for that to happen we mustn't act like stupid little progenies! We must act like adult strong and able to withstand anything. We can't let things as petty as emotions get in the way of the perfect future."

"How do you live with yourself? You can no more force a child to be an adult then an adult asks to be a child. The world doesn't need to be sugarcoated but still, children need to have some fun and just be kids with innocent for awhile! You cannot be this cruel! You're the King!"

"The weak are the ones that are cruel, my beautiful Samira. The strong like me have no need to be. You need to learn your place and fast if you're going to be the Queen of the Neo Xanadu. We're going to have to knock out this rubbish your idiotic parents brainwashed you with. You act like a mortal, not an immortal that is what you are. Started acting like it!"

"You're no King you're a tyrant! When the Oracle Prophecy comes to pass, then you'll be the one scared,"

She felt it and was knocked off her feet as he hit her with a blow that would've dislocated her jawbone.

"Do not tell lies. It's most unbecoming of a stunning sovereign. There was no Prophecy and the Oracle you saw was merely your imagination. Now let's go. We must find a new home for our kind,"

As she rubbed her jawbone which even now stung from time to time. She saw just how angry her son was. His magic was able to make him see her memories from these long ago events play before him as if he was watching a DVD. But he was about to be beyond mad when she revealed one of her darkest secrets.

"Yami, please don't start gnashing your teeth. I can tell you've started to Ascend. If this began when I suspect you've reached a week of tranquility which should end sometime tomorrow night. But don't encourage it to go back to chaos sooner then it needs too. Please don't lose it, my little angel. Please, I beg you, Yami. Don't let it control you for what comes next will most definitely rip your heart out," she told him in pleading voice. You didn't need to Aziza acute hearing to hear how much angry was building up inside him.

Still, even though he wanted to do what he'd done when he first meets his Yugi he'd learned a bit of self-control and as an alternative materialized something they both could hit. An inflated dummy of Aknamkanon. If any aggression was coming and it most unquestionably was they smack the shit out of that dummy till they felt better. In view of the fact that it was magic, it would repair itself when needed.

"I'm ready as I'll ever be. Please what happened next?" he said in a very tightly controlled voice. His body language screamed he was about to obliterated anything if this went south.

"We eventually after an unmeasured amount of time came to this solar system and encountered the Divine Beasts. As I'm sure by now you realize this world knows them as characters involved in a popular card game,"

"I do know Mother. I've my own deck. Yugi helped me build yet I still don't feel my heart is in it. At least not yet, but one day I will have a heart and it will be in this deck as Yugi's golden pure heart is in his," showing his mother the cards he picked out for the deck.

"You chose a Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl like Yugi?" she asked a bit surprised as she looked the deck her son had created over with a smile.

"I've many loyal and noble Divine Beast assembled within that deck and there is at least one creature connected in some way to those back in Xanadu of the people who does mean something too me," he explained as he put the cards back in the pack on his belt. "What I don't know is how this world has knowledge of them,"

"I believe long ago the Beasts lived alongside the Human Race. They worked together in a peaceful and symbiotic partnership. They truly were aibous. But like with Xanadu the diseases of evil invade this world and then soon fear and pandemonium swept over this world. The Beasts left but only went a little bit away. They'd faith that one day the Human Race could redeem itself. Till then they had nothing to do. That is why they too fell into madness."

Sighing she gazed at the constellations above them and wrapped the other blanket she had brought around them till they where nice and cozy. They looked very cute cuddled together in the colorful blanket. He was leaning his head against her heart as she was stroking him soothingly. She had to continue this tale.

"Your sire was a good actor and he also knew a great opportunity when he saw one. Seeing how these Beasts where just as powerful in addition to making great allies furthermore they'd be a big help in making his 'beautiful dream' a reality. He pretended to be their savior, he acts as if he was this magnificent guardian angel from the Heavens and he was the one who shows them the way to seventh heaven!"

"He played them like fools. They brought his lies because he was charming and knew the right words to say. Like all tyrants, those two together are a deadly combination. He got them to hook, line and sinker! He then tried to force our absurd way of life on these people. Before they realized they had willingly stepped in a trap with the door locked up tight and the key was gone."

"I know that Mom,"

"There is something you don't know that no one knows. It was during this time as the Xanadu City was taking shape Aknamkanon said it was time to have a child. He needed an heir and he wanted him fast. For the reason that Camille, was already with her child, her daughter the brain-dead Serafina. The universes most beautiful doormat! To think that bitch had the audacity to name her daughter after the highest ranking angel of the Heavens."

So that was where her name came from. The Seraphim. He'd been wondering that for while where her name came from. Names where an interesting topic from what they meant and all kinds of neat facts.

"Your sire came to me as I was brushing my hair one night. The moon was rising and I was saying the Prophecy. It had become the sort of my prayer. I knew he didn't like hearing it or anyone else says it but I did it for it gave me hope. I was just brushing the crimson part of my hair when he entered our chambers. I looked in the mirror and I didn't like the devil stare his beautiful colored eyes had. It scared me to death,"

"My Lovely Angel, we need to talk."

"I know what you wish to talk about, Aknamkanon and I will repeat to you the same message till infinity ends. I won't bear you a child unless you can love them like a father and me as a wife. I refused to give you a child as if to be a tool for your unholy schemas," Samira said as she redid her tresses.

"You've got a contractual obligation. As Xanadu's Queen, that goes that you're my wife and a woman as well. You role in life is to have children. Don't you wish to have a child?"

"Yes, I want to be a mother. But I'm a person and I've got a right to control my body! I won't bring a child into the kind of world you desire to fashion. I won't raise a child in a world without love, hope, or any kind of freedom! I may be forced to be your wife which you only see my attractiveness. But I'm not just a pretty face, Aknamkanon! I'm a person with mind and heart as well as a soul! All of which you lack!"

"You've spent too much time with those demented fools. I thought you were finally settling into your role of life,"

"I'm not a character in a story! My role in life is what I chose it to be. If you actually got too really know your people instead of seeing them as faceless subjects there be hope for this city! I hope the Prophecy comes soon because I don't know how much longer I can stand for this!"

He blasted her with a magic blast right into a wall, but she got right back up and stared him in his eyes. She may love their color but she loathed that no soul was looking out of them,

"You'd rather be deaf along with blind as well as ignorant then acknowledge the truth of why Xanadu fell? The Oracle foretold that Prophecy so we'd save ourselves not so we'd condemn ourselves! But what can one expect? You won't learn from the past so no change can be made in the present that'd give us a future. Since you won't change I won't bear you a child. Even if I must remain eternally denied my dreams of happiness, I willingly chose that fate for the good of my people,"

Samira told him off firmly in a strong tone of voice and then went to walk away when grabbed her by her beautiful wings. He then slammed her into the wall and blasted her a bit till she passed out for the moment. When she came to her since he had bonded her to the bed and gagged her. The room had black candles lit and dark red roses everywhere with the most dreadful excuse for romantic music ever.

"I've tried asking nicely," was all he said before he did it. He beat her as he forced himself on her. It lasted for hours and she was unable to scream as he planted his seed in her body, stealing her virginity as he raped her. Finally, morning came and he undid the magical binds. He then snapped his fingers and she was dressed in a ravishing dress.

"Come time to tell Xanadu they should be expecting a new King soon. It was a very nice experience a lot of fun. Maybe we should've another child if all goes well. Well, come along." He told his stunned wife as he flew away.

Samira was now crying uncontrollably. She'd never told anyone that Yami her beloved son whom she loved more then breathe of life was, in fact, the result of King Aknamkanon rapping her. She didn't know whether to be ashamed or what.

This of course really pissed off Yami. He knew Aknamkanon was sick enough to lie about his mom but to rape her?! That's going too far! It took all his self-control not, to go off like an atom bomb! He was now the one comforting his mom not the other way around.

"Mom I don't know what to say… I…"

"Don't think that the manner in which you were conceived means I love you any less. If anything it made me love you more. I swore I won't let that son of a bitch hurt you. When you were born I named you Yami while he branded you with Atem. It was then I realized the Prophecy was already beginning,"

"Uh?"

"Listen well to what I tell if you wish to save the world that fell. When a CHILD born of Dark and Light, Descends from the Heavens to the world of beauty and might. When a Child who holds the purity of Mortals within his soul, saves thy child of the skies will the healing be on the rise? When two Hearts beat as one will their special song bring the light and the True Xanadu will be born anew"

"You are the Child from the first line. Yami means "Darkness" Atem is a sun god and the sun is "Light," I think you've unknowingly been fulfilling this Prophecy. But to answer how I wound up here and we got this 14 years of separation?"

"I was raising you best I could. I took many blows willingly to protect you. I wanted you to know love, fun, to feel true happiness so in hopes you could save us. You also healed me from all that was messed up in my life. But one day something happened that made me realize I need to get you out of Xanadu immediately."

"What happened?" he demanded furiously his amethyst eyes now blistering crimson.

"I'd put you down for your nap and left to go to the gardens. As you know Seto your cousin is about a year and half older then you. His mother your Aunt Aida was my best friend and we loved each other as if we were sisters. I knew she and Aknadin were having "problems" so I was concerned for her wellbeing as well as my nephew. What I learned that day I can't even bring myself to say. It's too gruesome for me to say. It's beggaring description. In next to no time all the inhabitants who were not in favor of the "Xanadu's Perfect Life" were forever silenced."

"Then the day after I told you why I called you "Yami", not "Atem" I formulate a very risky plan. I was giving you a bubble bath and your sire was away at the Starlight Tower. He must've been happy about something because I could see Earth for the first time. As I was drying you off, I made up my mind. I summon all of the Court with the exception of for Aknadin and Aknamkanon of course and begged them to help,"

"All of them eagerly agreed to help me in any way possible. I'd Mahad watch you and Isis keep me informed of my false husband whereabouts. The rest of the Court pitched in any manner that they could. I found wedges in the barrier and went to Earth. I was hoping I'd find some place where we'd be safe and free. It was on my first trip I met Samir,"

"He was still very devastated with the recent loss of his wife, Efra. Also the burden he felt having to raise his daughter Aziza by himself. He'd not slept in weeks and was not very well at all. He was giving a speech at the Domino City Public Library about the impatience on not belittling the illiterate but to teach everyone how to read and right. Then somehow a fire broke out and we thought all had escaped but there was someone still inside. I was stunned he went back in to save the child. But the smoke soon overpowered him; he'd died if I hadn't saved him. He has a small burn scar on his left hand from the incident as a reminder,"

"He thanked me for saving me for he'd seen me with my wings. I'd explained I wasn't an angel of Heaven but an immortal seeking a sanctuary. He'd agreed to help. Over the next few months he helped in any manner he could and helped me realize the only way to truly escape Xanadu and Aknamkanon was too become mortal. We'd also realized we'd fallen in love. So when he'd asked me to become his wife I said yes. However, I'd like to get my son out first."

"I planned out every detail and thought everything that'd stop it. Or so I thought. That night I slipped you a powerful sleeping potion, which I'd Mahad concocted. It made you very sleepy quickly and I excused myself to put you to bed. Then I waited. Around the time of moonrise and all were either asleep or out of the palace I executed my plan."

"I wrapped you in the same blanket that had been made for me by my mother. Then I spirited away to one of the wedges. If I got both of us out successfully the rest would be able to escape as well. I'd even managed to nick the Heart from Aknamkanon early by giving him something to get his ya-yas out with. He'd seemed unaware he had a phony Heart and the real one was with me. Everything was going according to plan and we're almost out when I was stopped by the Blue Phoenix,"

"Aknadin."

"I was also attacked mercilessly by 16 different attacks at once. Then the second it died away a fury of black rose petals came. Standing before me was Aknamkanon. He looked far worse then any picture of Lucifer been. I held you tightly to my bosom refusing to give to the fear. Fear and Intimations were two of his allies and I won't let him trap me by them."

"Out for a midnight stroll, my beautiful angel? I do hope that is the case and that you wouldn't dare betray your husband and king in such a dishonorable manner. Come let's go back inside and put Prince Atem in his bed and we can enjoy ourselves in a natural hot spring," he spoke in a casual manner but his double-edged eyes showed his more sinister motives all to clear for her.

Her teal eyes darted to all three of them. Her brother-in-law was on the left and her son's future mother-in-law was on the right with her false husband in front of her. When she saw Camille demonic amber eyes she knew instantly what had gone wrong. If there was anyone who could be more of the tyrant it was this bitch.

"So Camille, I take being a metamorphic Immortal isn't the only rare talent you've got? I outta known you've invisibility as well! Not a very common curse I'll admit taking into consideration how hard it is to become visible!"

"You should be thanking her for keeping an eye on you. Now Samira let's go back inside and we'll cleanse you've all that poisoned your mind and we can finally have a happy marriage once more and wonderful family," Aknamkanon said as he advanced on her. But she spits at him stunning him and the others.

"NO! I won't be your concubine any longer! Just another one of billion souls you've ensured into slavery at this beautified prison camp! I won't let you use Yami! He won't be your tool to bring doom to this beautiful and innocent universe!"

"You're not well dear sister. We can help you. Now come let's go," Aknadin said in a voice that a crooked car salesman is envois of! Her respond was not only to spit at him as well but use every single vulgar word she knew.

"I see the truth now, you can't let me leave for it will inspire hope and that would lead to change. You would lose the thing you do treasure most power. But I also see the fear in your soulless eyes! You know whether you say it out loud or not that the Prophecy is indeed coming true. If Yami fulfills it will be the end of you. So you want to 'cleanse' us so we no longer are a threat to your authority,"

"You'll pay for this act of treason. Treason to Xanadu the greatest society ever!"

"No Xanadu died eons ago. When we allowed ourselves to fall into insanity and it will happen again because of you. I rather am human then see that. I rather live as a human and perish knowing love, then continuing to live forever knowing misery!"

His eyes went wide as she went closer to her wedge that leads to freedom. "What are you saying?!" he said as she reached it was one step away from freedom of an entirety trapped in a loveless life.

"You know exactly what I'm saying, you bastard. I Samira will my…"

"Don't finish that sentence or you'll regret for the rest your life!" he threatened but regrettable for him she uttered the final two words. "Immortally Away,"

They all stood stunned as her wings that where an exquisite mix of colors of the sunset melted elegantly from her body as they seemed to evaporate like water but only the water was also like light too. But just as the last of her wings were vanishing and she was about to fall to Earth something really bad happened for her.

He knew he'd lose his beautiful wife forever, yet he'd make her suffer even in her even her newly acquired death. He signaled with those eyes and both Aknadin and Camille struck her with the powerful magical blast and she screamed. Now that she could truly feel the pain she unintentionally lost some of her grip on her son but it was enough for Aknamkanon to use his powers to snatch him back along with the Heart that had been tucked away with him.

Samira first moment as a human which she had hoped to be of joy was now in sorrow. So as she tasted her blood from the wounds and cried in Samir arms she recited the Prophecy once more. She prayed and believed one-day Aknamkanon would pay for his crimes and she'd be reunited with her son. Till that day come she'd do what she could too help her new world and help her new family and hope she been reward with her heart's wish.

"Shortly after that, I went to Efra grave to ask her permission to marry Samir and adopt Aziza and she appeared before me and said I had her permission as well as a blessing. I then realized because I'd chosen on my own free will to become mortal, it wasn't forced, that I retained a small amount of my Divinity. This includes longevity there isn't a doubt that I will live to be a supercentenarian and very youthful looking one at that. I don't get sick very often and seemed to be immune still to the harsher aliments. I can still feel I've got magic inside of me but I'm saving it for a special occasion."

"That's my story, my son. Yami you've been in my mind every day and the only thing I've come to regret is that I failed to get you out of Xanadu. I don't regret anything else. I do love you, my son,"

Yami didn't speak for a long time. He thought he is angry with her and has many other feelings. He had the latter of that but no he didn't feel angry with her nor did he hate. He now saw his mom in a new light. She was one of the few heroes left and she had been so willing to die to try and help people he couldn't hate her. He loved her even more.

As mother and son hugged he placed his palm on her face and transferred his memories to her so they could still embrace but she'd know what had come to pass. There were moments as this transfer was happening that made her smile.

She was smiling when she saw him with Shimon, how Mahad and the rest of the Court didn't like what was going on. Mahad and Isis were now married and had adopted Mana. How Seto wasn't his 'father' son. What'd come to pass since coming to Earth? How he'd cleverly managed to handle his Ascending. His growing feelings for Yugi and how he felt that instant bond with his then unknown sister, Aziza. She wasn't too happy he had gotten drunk but was happy how Aziza had saved her brother.

"I can tell you don't wish to go back, yet like me, you worried about the rest of our people. You know we can't leave them trapped yet if you go back you'll be trapped once more too. Stripped of the ability to feel or think to be devoid of true identity,"

"I swear Mother; I'll find a way to save Xanadu. Then once that is done I'm coming to stay with you here forever with my friends, sister, and my Yugi,"

"Please remember this, Yami. Giving up one's immortally isn't as easy it may appear to be. It's the equivalent of asking a human to give up a kidney without the proper produced done first. Also, it can only be done after one has Ascend or the magical backlash would obliterate the universe in the blink of an eye. It's not something you do on a whim. Also, you know you can't stay with me until you've cleared Ascending,"

"I know. But I'm just so happy that your alive!" as they fell back into the other arms.

By this time the others had come back. They'd run into the gang and it spread like wildfire that Yami's mom was Aziza stepmother. They'd brought back a tub of rainbow sherbet and a DVD "Corpse Bride" While Yugi and Samira where talking with Solomon about what was going to happen, Yami went to see Aziza while her father set up the DVD player.

Aziza had gone too her room. Not sure what to expect or act he was a little nervous. He knew this had to be her room. The front door was covered in brightly covered fuzzy art posters along with a big blue wooden "A" between two autographic pro bowler's picture and a Sailor Moon poster. Swallowing hard he knocked.

'Yes? Yami?"

"May I come in, please? I'd like to talk before we watch the movie,"

"Give me a sec," after a few moments she opened the door and let him in. He didn't know how a blind person would decorate their room but what he saw showed him a lot more who Aziza was and that just because she couldn't see didn't stop her colorful personality from shining through.

The first thing you saw and you couldn't miss this because it took up half the floor where a massive amount of stuffed animals! Also, every inch of wall space was covered in beautiful fantasy posters, fuzzy arts, and cool calendar pictures. She had a lot of wind chimes, sun catchers even the four windows above her room poster that where supposed to be of stain glass and the whole room was bathed in color. On the back of her door, she hands an oval-shaped plaque with her name in a heart under angel along with a poster of Avril Levine and Tom Welling. She had collected an assortment of figurines as well.

He looked at he closets full of cool things as well and she had a lot of books. She also had her own computer so she was just a normal teenager. She was sitting on her Scooby-Doo comforter spinning a neon green kickball on fingers and was able to that on any of her fingers.

"Don't look so shocked, Yami. I'm just a normal teenage girl. I've got my own interests," she told him coyly as she continued to spin the ball.

"How you able to do that?" he asked memorized.

"Practice and talent," she said as threw the ball at him. "So you and Mom have a nice reunion. Honestly, I didn't even know or suspect, Yami."

"It's ok, Aziza. Um, so you're my sister?"

"And you're my brother?" as they both got very uncomfortable looks. It got way too quiet so she broke the tension with an attempted to be funny.

"I guess we now know how Luke and Leia felt in "Return of the Jedi" how they can't look at one another the same ever again," as they laughed so she went on "I love that line when Leia tells Hans who thinks she dumping him for Luke "No it's not like that at all, he's my brother" I can't get enough of it!"

"Yeah, those where some of the best movies ever! I still don't like it that people repeatedly tarnish the greatest movie line ever. The father line. But if you think about this it rather unique love is what made Anakin go to the Dark Side and yet it still saved him in the end. That's cool but what I still don't understand is this, you got space ships, lightsabers and god knows what else but you can't tell a woman is having twins?"

"Yeah, that didn't make much sense to me either. So um Yami what's you want from me?"

"I just don't know how to be a brother,"

"Yami nothing really has changed. We just now have a stronger bond. I don't care about the Vixens or Aknamkanon or anyone. I care about you and all our friends. I still think you owe Yugi the truth. But only when you're ready to tell him. I love you Yami, my brother.

"I love you, Aziza my sister," as they hugged. Then they went to watch the movie with the rest of the others. Samira had worked an arrangement out with Solomon. She told him that she couldn't tell him why but Yami couldn't move in until after his 18th year. So he agreed to let him continue to stay at the game shop and work but she checks on him and helps get things ready for when he'd move in.

That night as the silver moon was rising into the midnight blue skies, Samira quietly crept into the guest room where her son was sleeping. He looked like a sweet innocent child as did Yugi asleep next to him on the airbed. Still, there was something she promised she does if her prayer to be reunited with Yami was ever answer. She went over to him and picked up the 5'4 92lbs young man as if he were a babe.

She then cradles him to her breast and kissed his forehead and sat down in a rocker and began to sing to him.

"I'm in love with this song! My friend Arainaina did an amv to Yugi and Atem to this song. Check it out its rocks!"

"I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow, and each road leads you where you want to go. And if you're faced with the choice and you've to a choice I hope you choose the one that means the most to you. And if one door opens to another door closed. I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window. If it's cold outside show the world the warmth of your smile but more then anything,

My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to, your dreams stay big your worries stay small. You never need to carry more then you can hold. And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to, I hope you know somebody loves and wants the same things too. Yeah, this is my wish.

I hope you never look back but you never forget all the ones who love you and the place you left. I hope you always forgive and you never regret and you help somebody every chance you get. Oh, you find God's grace in every mistake and always give more then you take, But more then anything,

My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to, your dreams stay big and your worries stay small. You never need to carry more then you can hold. And while you're out there gettin' where you're getting' to. I hope you know somebody loves you and wants the same things too, yeah this is my wish.

My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to, your dreams stay big and your worries stay small. You never need to carry more then you can hold and while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' so I hope you know somebody loves you and wants the same things too, yeah this is my wish,

This is my wish I hope you know somebody loves you. May all your dreams, stay big,"

Kissing him one more time she went to bed but with a smile.

They spent the next day having a lot of fun. Breakfast at Bob Evans, going to the mall and both Yami and Yugi got their ears pierced at Claire's. All of them getting wicked cool sexy black leather jackets.

Having a picnic at the park. Yami and his mom knew that the couple on the lake in the rowboat where the newlywed Mahad and Isis and Seto were nearby watching from the chess tables while Mana was being pushed on a swing by Duke. Then everyone went to a new ice rink and Yami saw just how graceful him mother was. She put all the Olympic teams to shame. Yet she was modest and humble about her natural talent and didn't laugh at her son couldn't even stand up for two seconds.

Samira had chosen to go for dinner to a rather special place. Hooters. She liked how it was just so nice and everyone was having a good time. They waitress were black tonight but still very friendly and the music was great. TVs played various things and a few people had duels and one was on a scooter. The food was great as well and something rather cool happened for Yami.

He told the beautiful waitress named "Becky" it was his first time. So she got the other entire hot waitress and had him stand on his seat and do "A little teapot" and he enjoyed it! They also gave the group free t-shirts.

They left in very high spirits and he was sad to say goodbye to his mom even if she was only two blocks away. She was also given that phone number to reach the Court and they work something out.

That night Yami at midnight when his Ascending started up again made a decision. Using the major boost of power from his Ascending he pulled out a very particular selection of cards from his deck. He was standing on his tiptoes on Yugi's roof.

"I summon the power of Multiply. Come forth and aid me!" as he summons the card used to make countless Kuriboh appeared.

"I also call forth the powers of Polycations, Spellbinding Circle, Mirror Force, and Swords of Revealing Light!"

The ink on the cards came to life and now appeared before the determined prince. He was going to make sure no-one harmed his friends or family. Using the property of Polycations he fused the three Trap Cards together to make a new ultimate one.

This new card had the best quality of each and with the power of multiply, he had more then enough. The power of the Spellbinding Circle would be able to imprison whatever he chose in an unbreakable circle but what'd be cut in half was the power of the attacker who'd the audacity and stupidly to try to attack his friends or any location he has chosen to shield. The full power of the failed attack would be bounced back at the attacker only two times as harder due to the Mirror Force. The Swords would not only strengthen but keep the spell in place for 90 days or 3 months.

He used just about all he had to cast this spell and nearly fell off the roof. Still, he was pleased more so because he'd a gut feeling the Vixens had found him. But he happily stuck his tongue out at them when they very much mutilated themselves trying to attack him. He had also said a blessing he'd learned from Faith for good measure, after all, every little bit helped. With one final look of triumphing, he went to bed.

"Damn that cursed spawn! How could a fucking rabbit become a cunning fox?" demanded Oba as her tsunami failed to even make a dent.

"This can't be happening! The Vixens never fail and we've never been humiliated ever, especially not from a lowly male!" Pomona spat as she too failed to crush the newly intact spell.

"All is not lost, sisters. He may of locked us out the dwellings of this putrid city and made it impossible for us to touch his cursed fleshy friends but he's left one door wide open and I suggest we take advantage of his carelessness,"

"What door do you speak of Shakti?" they asked as they followed her gazed to the slumbering prince window.

"He won't be sleeping so soundly in a little while. The door to his dreams is wide open and that leads to the soul. We'll still break him but by the time where done, he'll be little more then a vegetable. Come we must prepare for the Darklight Ritual," as they vanished into the night.


	13. Tale of Seto

Tale of Seto"

"This is dedicated to Theiya of Youtube. She makes the best Seto and Kisara amvs ever! She has done two for me. "Beautiful Soul" and "I'll remember you" which the first thing you see is my picture of the couple. I LOATH Kaibutt but I love Seto and if anyone can help Kaibutt get his humanity back its Kisara who has a very beautiful name. So this goes to the Angel of the Blue Eyes White Dragon Theiya!"

"WHAT?!" bellowed the King who was thoroughly shocked by the news the Vixens had just given him. It was one piece of news he wasn't ready for. He was so shocked he'd dropped his staff and was all but lost for words.

"You Vixens sure of what you saw? Absolute positive that it was her?" inquired wrathfully Aknadin for his thunderstruck brother. He too was equally disgusted by this unforeseen turn of events.

"Affirmative, Cyclops. It was that traitor of a sovereign. Samira is here and she made contact with the prince. It seems there more to tell."

"What'd the possibility be of inferior quality then that the Traitor is still alive?" Camille acidly hissed as she was slowly changing to match the day of the week. Her demonic ocher eyes looked ready to slaughter as the trio gazed at the cobalt flames mirror that they used to correspond with the Vixens.

"It appears oh divine mistress, even as a human, the former Queen finds ways to bring ignominy on her magnificent heredity. She's broke the Vows of Aibou, by taking a human as her mate. It'd look as if this human was a widow and from that nuptial, brought into being a defected progeny. His offspring lacks the ability to see, my liege. The former Queen not only conjugal this man, but she has also taken in his inadequate progeny as her own!"

"She has reduced herself to a simple painter of all things. At the moment Prince Atem isn't living with his mother, yet her venomous influence has to be reinstated. It's getting progressively more complicated to a corner and trap the hare that now he been converted into a fox,"

"He used the magic he gained as he entered Stage Two of Ascending to use some type of magic unheard of to us. We can't lay a hand on him, his 'friends,' or assault any of the locations in the city he has chosen to safeguard,"

"You mean there is no way to get the Prince back under control?!" Camille snapped wrathfully.

"There's one way."

"What'd that be, Vixen?" inquired the King at the same time as he narrowed his soulless amethyst eyes on them.

"We'd like your authorization to instigate the Darklight Ritual,"

All of the air was sucked out of the room and the sound was silenced too by the mere mention of that ritual. This Ritual was old as time yet it had only be done once before since time began. What'd happen the one time, this Ritual had been performed it left; every person in the universe both good in addition to evil shocked.

They'll have the same opinion this was so morally wrong, it was beyond words to say. Even the greatest of evil won't dare to it! For exactly what happened when this Ritual been performed before was just too horrible to image, the end result was a fate worse then death.

But of course, the atrocity of that act from long ago didn't matter at all to this trio. They had their heartless eyes set on their damn dreams of opulence. Without a second thought or shilly-shallying, they'll say the fatal words, "Yes go forth and do it!"

"It will take all of this month alone to obtain the necessary ingredients required to perform this Ritual, on the other hand, you'd needed to be concerned. We'll still keep the little rats busy, running blindly all the way through their labyrinth till we've led them to their doom. On the other hand, don't throw out of the window plan "B" just yet. Please keep it intact by some inconceivable reason this shouldn't succeed. We'd still have a way to fulfill our dreams,"

"We shan't forget that. Don't worry about us. Plan "B" is still very much intact, my lovely ladies. If by some unforeseen chance that even the Darklight Ritual fails to subdue and get that unpleasant child back and under control, this will without a doubt do it. Good Luck and give Prince Atem something far worse then Hell!" Camille told them sinisterly as she sipped a little Fireblood.

Sneering they signed off. "Let's get to work sisters. We can spend the rest of the night setting things up for tomorrow we go after the items we seek," The Vixens worked all night feverishly with their slaves giving them Martinez and bonbons as they set up for this outlawed ritual.

By morning it was finished. Painted on the ground with the blood from the immortals that had perished when the original Xanadu had fallen, was a massive picture of Atem's Puzzle. At each of the points flouted a weird and wonderful energy sphere held in placed by the pale hands of death. Where the Eye emblem was a fourth sphere was floating however whiles the other three were a goldish white this was so red it was almost black. Running alongside also were symbols of a long forgotten language but even no knew how to read them you could sense they where only used for the most unholy of crimes.

"Excellent work sisters, we've finished sooner then expected. Now we must retrieve the three personal items of that jackass of an excuse for a prince! We'll need a physical representation of his Mind, his Body, and most importantly, his Spirit. If we're to forge the Darklight Item that will aid us in finishing this quest," Shakti spoke in a manner that Princess Azula off Avatar is jealous of.

"Which one do you recommend, we go after first, precious sister?" the other two inquired their sister enthusiastically. Both of them were drooling with anticipation for a hunt. They wanted to spill some fresh blood of this rancid planet as quickly as possible. All of them were thirsty for blood and the meat that came with a successful hunt.

"We'll go for the Item that will represent his Body first. Hair is best for that and it's the easiest to obtain. We'll keep him and the Court attention preoccupied; so that they'll be so busy focusing on one thing they'll overlook our true objective. At what time they do become conscious, of what transpired it will be too little too late for one disobedient prince,"

As the three sisters began to chortle insanely, they're almost immediately joined in their merciless snigger by a murder of over dozens of crimson shoulder ravens. Each and every one of ravens laughing more insanely then the last. Then the murder took to the air so the whole city took notice of their spine-chilling malevolent expression of sick amusement.

Seto awoke from his dreamless slumber at the sound of the raven's laugh. It was still very early and true dawn was still at the most 20 minutes away. The rest of the Court members were still zonked out, although unlike him each seemed to be having fantastic dreams. Yet try as he might he couldn't roll back over on down feather king-sized bed and sleep. He went out to the balcony and felt the morning zephyr gently tickle his face.

He allowed for a moment to escape his dried lips a few giggles that he quickly suppressed. Yet the very wind felt like the tender touch of someone he'd forgotten. Trying to pay no heed to that unnerving sensation, he went to the bathroom to have a shower. He'd too like his cousin had found the joy of Earth music and was playing a song he'd loved dearly. "We are, Ana Johnson" Seto did love plenty of other songs but loved this one the best.

As the steam enveloped the small room he became lost in his thoughts that were as thick as the steam. He was just as flabbergasted in addition to over the moon as the rest of the Court when they'd been informed yesterday that the Queen was alive.

They'd even manage to surreptitiously communicate that piece of knowledge back to their remaining friends back in Xanadu. Unknown to all but themselves they'd a second magical communication line. This line allowed them to talk to their friends without any worry that his father or uncle find out. Unknown to anyone back home in Xanadu, Isis had a gift for coded messages, passing secrets or anything else of this nature. She also knew how not to be caught.

All and sundry were jubilant to know Samira was alive. It meant there was still hope and that if she'd escape the floating Hell invading the Heavens above them. Then perhaps Atem could do as she promised and save them as well. Then they'd be free as well. To their knowledge at this time, only one person was uninformed of this development and that was Shimon.

Shimon since their departure for this cursed 'duty' to go and get Atem had been worked to the bone. The benevolent old man was being worked like a mule and the King seemed full on with the intention in making him work to the point of almost 'death'. Absolutely nobody had a clue where the King's vendetta for this compassionate soul came from. But he seemed too loath him as much the humans and not a soul knew why.

All of them had been over the moon at this delightful new discovery. But no-one had approached her for the fear of all involved in this conflict safety being compromised was far too great. They knew whatever Samira had disclosed with her son was strictly a family matter.

However, knowing his aunt was alive did something to him that made him feel like he'd food poisoning. He'd no recollection whatsoever of his mother. If his Aunt Samira did know what'd happen to her, why didn't she tell Atem so he'd tell him?

All he'd commit to memory of his mother was her name had been Aida. But he couldn't even remember what she looked like or her voice, nothing at all. It almost was like all memory he might've had been removed from his head as if it was aneurysm about to burst. Also the more he tried to remember her the more he became consumed by that extreme loathing feeling.

He was drying off while listening to the song, "How could this happen to me?" when his cell phone went off. It was hard not to notice the ring tone; it seemed to remind him of a TV Show Theme song. "Note all the cell phones in this story play the show theme song when they get a call,"

He searched for a few moments before he'd found it under some of the extra towels. He'd chosen a Blue Eyes phone. Seto knew him and that Divine Beast had their own bond. Almost all of the Divine Beings had a special connection to one of the Beasts. They're some things in this universe that needed no word to truly explain them. Yet for many of his people, himself included, when they'd found their special friend it meant more to them at times then the gift/curse of immortality. It was similar to the bond between soul mates.

The CID, of course, said it was his cousin. He'd found that out of the ordinary. It was Monday and all youths of the land were required to go to their Academy for a majority of the day. Atem was supposed to be busy getting ready, so why was he calling?

"Hello, Atem? You ok?"

"I'm way better then ok, Seto! Ecstatic is more like it!" Atem exclaimed in a very high vigorous tone. The kind of tone one gets when something really good has happened.

"What good fortune has befallen you, cousin?"

"Two very simple magic words, Seto, NO SCHOOL!" and with that, a joyful squeal that brake the sound barrier was let loose. Seto was holding the cell three feet away from his ear and it still hurt! Finally, his cousin calms down but it was clear he was still in a rather enthusiastic frame of mind.

"Atem!" he snapped "Need I reminded you it's still early? Many of the souls of this city are still dead to the world. So please explain quietly why the human's academies are not in session today?"

"Apparently over the weekend something happens, that is sorta my fault," he was now chuckling embarrassingly over the phone.

"What did you do, Atem?"

"Yami! My name is Yami! Geez, Louise! How many times to I've got to tell you lamebrains that? What you're ears full of tissue paper or something? Gezze!" he snapped cantankerously

" FYI the reason the school been declared off limits for a week is due to school board decided to do a full overhaul of the building. I started my Ascending on my second day of school and well let's just say it wasn't very pretty," he was getting even more uncomfortable still not wanting his happy mood shot down he continued,

"Point is, despite me doing my best to keep my puberty under control it's taken a toll on a small number of locations. So until the whole school been inspected from top to bottom and declared safe the kids are free to roam the land!"

"So how is unintentionally closing down the high school making you in high spirits?"

"Well I do feel guilty; on the other hand, there is not a kid on the planet who doesn't love any excuse not have to go to that prison of learning! Beside, Seto, there something really, really good happening today!"

"What's has got you so over the moon?"

"There a new bakery called "Sweet Dreams Palace," It's having its grand opening today in addition to that every single one the delicious treats on the first day is on the house! Think about it for a moment, Seto! All of the most mouth-watering sweets in the world and you can eat as much as your stomach can handle for free!"

"Yugi can't wait to try some of their cheesecake particularly the strawberry chocolate one. Both his mom and Grandpa simply love it! From what I've heard the treats are even tastier then Star Candies!"

For some unknown reason, all this talk of sweets and candies was only adding to Seto's weird and wonderful sensation. He was also getting a headache but brushed it away. After obtaining the address and time this bakery opened he promised he'd meet him there.

He quickly scribbled a note and left the family to sleep a bit longer. He silently slipped out of the room and left the "Do not disturb" sign on the door. The last thing he saw before the door was fully shut was the glint of the newlyweds' rings.

The boy Yugi and this blind beauty Aziza, Atem newly acquired sister and his sorta cousin had gone to a special shop and gotten things needed to help Mahad and Isis tie the knot. The rings despite the fact that looked extremely authentic were merely pyrite and glass. The rings were two hearts intertwined with 'diamonds' in their center and what mattered was they're married not if the rings could buy an island.

He'd made a small change to his wardrobe. He still wore jeans with his Rod tucked out of sight, but now as a replacement for the sweatshirt he'd been wearing he made a change. He now wore a cobalt t-shirt with the akin from his Xanadu garb in the center. He also wore a leather jacket with the BEUD stitched on the back. At the same time as he pushed his sunglass upon his face, he'd reached the exit. He walked through the door and shooed a raven away.

But the raven seemed to want to pursue him. It was creepy the way the beady red eyes seemed to be looking into his concealed cobalt eyes as if wanted to snatch his soul away from him. He was finally able to lose the bird by using his Rod and having a tabby cat do violence to it.

By the time Seto made it to the bakery a mob was already there. The taste of these worlds desserts must be extremely excellent if this place was even more packed then that party had been a few weeks ago. The actual building was so huge it took up a whole block. It was shaped like a palace, a palace made out of the dreamy sweets of the Earth and it seemed a very fun place. Live musical entertainment and a variety of games, charismatic employees, extremely well bejeweled. It seemed the owners had indeed made an ideal place.

After about 3 quarters of an hour, he was finally able to get inside. He was blown away by all of it, the sights, sounds, but most of all the smell. The overpowering aromas of the billions of different sweets were something you couldn't fail to notice. After scanning a sea full of happy minnows he spotted his cousin.

He and Yugi were with their friends by the cake table all of them sampling the succulent cakes. He observed that both Atem and Yugi were dressed in black leather save for the black cotton shirts that had the word "Hooters" in a flamboyant shade of orange on the front and both of their ears were freshly pierced. Everyone looked very happy as if these treats were indeed the passport to eternal happiness.

As he made his way over he stopped for a moment. He'd had breakfast and the huge cookies in front of him were just screaming to be eaten. His 'father' Aknadin despite being Xanadu well-known Sweet Tooth, had forbidden his son to ever have sweets. At last, Seto gave into the urge and loaded down with as many cookies as he could hold on his plate.

He couldn't wait till he reached the tables set aside for eating. So he popped one of the Duel Monsters Cookies in his mouth. He was in seventh heaven as he greedily consumed more. But as he reached the cookie shaped like his soul friend, the BEWD he felt something happening within him.

He didn't understand what was going on. But almost immediately he felt extremely sick plus now his head was throbbing as if a demonic beast was trying to claw out. He almost dropped the plate as his hands turned white as a ghost in addition to started to shake uncontrollably.

He'd frozen still so out of the blue that there was no way to circumvent what was coming next. Right before he reached the table where his cousin was sitting at it happened. A beautiful girl with long flying cloud-white hair, pale blue eyes, wearing blue and white dress crashed into him. The two teenagers went down hard tripping two other people causing them to crash to the floor. Yami, Yugi, and the rest of the gang left their table to see if they could help and got a shock by what they saw.

"Why don't you watch where you're going, idiot? You nearly injured my girlfriend with your gaucheness. What are you blind ah!" Kaibutt said helping Kisara to her feet. Mokuba looked at his brother confused by why he stopped. When he turned his gaze his face was white as a sheet.

"Who are you? Why do you look like my brother!" he yelled.

"Is this some kind of joke? I want your name punk and I want it now," Kaiba demanded furiously grabbing Seto by his shirt and hauling him up.

"Seto, please it was an accident. I'm not hurt you don't have to do this!" Kisara pleaded. She gently removed Kaiba's hands from around Seto's body and looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry about that. He's normally not like this; he was just surprised by seeing someone who could pass for his twin."

"It's quite alright Miss. I'm as surprised as you are. Yami! There you are, I've been looking all over this place for you," Seto said brushing himself off. The two Kaiba brothers and Kisara moved over to allow Yami and Yugi to pass. Kaiba bore his cobalt eyes into Yami angrily.

"So you know this creep I take it? Is he the reason you acted so friendly towards me the first day at school or are you normally this chummy?" Kaiba inquired.

"Kaiba, can it. You don't have to be so uncouth towards my cousin Seto! He's only here to keep an eye on me and I can tell you he's a hell of lot nicer then you are. At least he has some manners. Come on cuz let's go eat our treats," Yami growled escorting his older cousin to the table where his friends had decided to wait for them. "Gomenasai about that Seto; some people are just real jerks. I don't know why that girl or his brother even stands up for him."

"I can't believe it. I knew everyone had a twin, but finding out your cousin is Kaibutt's double is over the top. I mean it's just plain freaky! How do we know that this guy isn't worse then Kaiba? I mean hello they've got the same first name!" Joey wailed pointing at Seto.

"If you find my name so offense, I would advice you to call me by my nickname. I'm also known as Seth, a name my mother use to call me when I was very small. Now if you be kind enough could you please introduce me to your friends At…, I mean Yami or do I have to guess who's who?" Seto asked nearly slipping up. He listened to the introductions and nodded politely at each other. His gaze continued to fall on the Kaiba brothers and the mysterious Kisara. He couldn't keep her eyes off them.

"So Yami was telling us that you two grew up together. What exactly did you two do together for fun?" Tea questioned bringing him back to the present.

"I'm sorry I was distracted. We really didn't spend much time together. My father and uncle thought it best that we are kept separated. He didn't want me to influence Yami with negative ideas. Yami I need to speak to you later about your mother," Seto replied coolly.

Using his telepathic abilities he informed the young prince he desired a face to face confrontation with the former queen to see if she'd tell anything about his own mother.

"I'll talk to her about it, but she's nervous about seeing you all again. She fears the Vixens will try to kill her to get to me. Now that's she's a mortal I'm afraid to risk her life. Still, I'm as curious as you are about learning more about your mother. How did you know she uses to call you Seth?"

"I don't know it just came to me. I've been experiencing extremely weird and wonderful feelings in addition to sensations from the time when we first set foot upon this place. Something about the world stimulates you in ways you didn't dream possible. I don't understand it. How is your Ascending going, now that you've entered stage two?"

"Well, like Isis told me over the phone the effects in addition to new abilities will be far more subtle for the time being. This morning I awoke and I just had the overpowering feeling something good was going to happen. Then we found out about the school closing and this! Also, I seemed to be able to control luck at the moment. Still, just so you know I used up a lot of power last night. I created a new spell; all my own to keep safe this city and the people till I'm 18,"

"Just stay sharp Atem. The Vixens are still out there and even with this new spell of yours, it wills only making them angrier. Hell knows no fury as a woman scorned,"

"Will do,"

"Hello? Anyone home in there? HEY WAKE UP!" as both cousin we brought to the real world by Joey yelling in there ears and the wet pieces of the shortcake he'd been eating hitting them.

"Hey! That's disgusting! Chew your food, would you boy?" snapped Seto as he wiped his face off. However, his hands were still shaking badly and he didn't do much good. Tea was the only one who noticed this peculiarly and looked concurringly at Seto.

"You, ok?"

"I'm fine," he stated firmly and began to inhaul all the cookies he could. Tea was about to say something more when Aziza came running over as fast as a cheetah.

'Hey, brother! So sorry I'm not on time. I'd like to lend a hand to our Mom with a few things because Daddy took Tess to the vet's office for her shots. They'd wanted us to bring them some treats back," she informed him after she bears hugged him and kissed his cheek. Then frown and looked in Seto direction, "Ok you may share that jackass heartbeat but your's at least sounds like a summer breeze off the sea, not a blistering arctic wind. So who are you boy?"

"Excuse me?"

"Seto, this is my sister and one of my best friends Aziza Keeper. Aziza I'd like you to meet my cousin Seto. He the only child of my Father, brother Aknadin," Yami informed his sister as she sat down and slide her, a brownie.

Everyone heard the acid seeping off his tongue when he mentioned his father name. Yugi could tell that if Yami had been subjected to maltreatment which he hadn't any doubt that he had. Then his mother must've suffered just as much if not more. So he'd tell just how much odium was inside his friend soul. Still, he slipped his hand into Yami and squeezed it tight so he'd know he wasn't alone.

"I guess that makes us family too in a way," she giggled as she shook his hand. "Well, I hope to get to know you as well as my new brother. Let's just hope you're not a jerk. But um is there a reason you've got like 20 plates worth of cookies? You'll not just give yourself mouthful cavities but you might wind up giving yourself diabetes as well. Not too mention a really nasty stomach ache," she said as she cleaned off her dark sunglass. They'd gotten smeared by some of the sticky buns.

"You'll alright, Seto? I know the food free and better then back home. However she still she got a point," Yami said as he watched his cousin deathly trembling white hands continue to shove the cookies in his mouth. It was if he'd had no control over it.

All of sudden the whole happily and the lively atmosphere was shattered. The temperatures went from pleasantly cool to deathly cold. Everyone flesh was instantly covered in goosebumps. Standing in the doorway were the Vixens. Each of the wicked ladies had a smile that granted even the Grime Reaper death.

They walked slowly over to a table full of different kinds of pudding. Then not using the spoons, instead of their fingers each sampled the huge dish of chocolate pudding. Then the whole buffet table of thick creamy pudding became rancid and diseased.

Yami was quick as well as pierces on how to stop these menaces before blood was spilled. Using his magic he turned up the sound on his I-pod. He'd been listening to songs by a woman named Jamie O'Neil that his mother had downloaded into his I-pod.

At the moment he'd been listening to "Somebody's Hero" but was ready to give these ladies the boot. With a quick glance to Seto both nodded. Touching their Items they focused their energies and combined them.

Yami Ascending now helped them turn the tables on the Vixens who seemed hell-bent on poisoning the innocent lives with the special treats. Every step the Vixens took the food became rancid. Now both the Prince and the Priest used their power to stop the Vixen in their tracks. The floor beneath became quicksand thick as batter then froze over. Then for some fun because the people had begun to become aware of something was amiss they started a food fight.

Now usually a food fight would be bad for a business especially on their grand opening however it actually in the end just made people want to come back for more! While everyone was having tons of fun and loving getting dirty the gang escaped unscathed. But not until after Yami, Yugi, and Aziza had pulverized the Vixens in the faces with the biggest and gooiest pound cakes they could find!

"Now that's one way to spend the morning! I loved spraying dark chocolate at those leeches Rex and Weevil," Tristan exclaimed as he and Joey did their victory dance.

"That was way better then a trip to Candy Land, it was very tasty warfare," giggled Serenity with Tea who was laughing along with the rest of girls as they started to remove whatever was stuck in their hair. Bakura and Wakana both were getting a free face wash from Misty who loved it all and her thoughts made Yami giggle more with his friends. Each and every one of the souls he'd come to know had enjoyed that little experience.

Still, for him, it meant that Vixen wasn't ready to give up on the hunt. As the gang split up into smaller groups to go to other actives with their time off he was left with Aziza and Yugi.

Seto hadn't left them exactly but he'd gone to a gas station to use the facility. Aziza remarked that he seemed to be experiencing some type of pain not connected to the fact he just ate half his body weight in cookies and was now in the processes of tossing his 'cookies' back up.

'That's was so fun! I've always wanted to be part of a food fight! They look so entertaining along with cool on TV," Yugi confessed as they approached the intersection to the Art Gallery.

"Yeah, but I think it is more fun if we're throwing a little more then just food. Maybe some ectoplasms or if we could teleport then dump something. It'd be even more fun if more unique people joined in,"

"I so love to hear how a food fights with the cast of Danny Phantom vs. Avatar. Perhaps X-men Evolution vs. Teen Titans, or even Xiaolin Showdown vs. W.I.T.C.H." Maybe they could go head to head in some type of silly yet fun battle of some kind We'd even throw in the Turtles that would really livin' things up a lot! We also get some comic relief that we all love to hate,"

"It's always so much fun to try and image something to rescue you from the humdrum in addition to deathly mind-numbing real life we're forced to walk in isn't it? The possibilities truly are infinite as the stars in the skies above," Aziza voiced at the same time as she walked backward expressing her thoughts about life in general.

"Yeah, that does sound like something fun to laugh about. It unquestionably keeps you in a good mood that's for sure. Speaking of wicked animated series, Aziza you know by chance when they're going to finish the first two you mentioned? Avatar or Danny Phantom? Not knowing when their third season coming out is driving die-heart fans like us insane," commented Yugi as he blew a hair out of his face.

Yami nodded in agreement. He'd learned to love plenty of things since coming to this world. He shared the same opinion with Aziza on them. Her opinion when it came to TV shows was it was a lot harder to do an animated show then a real one. Taking into consideration to bring the characters to life all you had at your disposable was your voice. So yeah it did appear to be a great deal harder to do those then really shows, for the reason that you'd your whole body.

"No I've got no clue and it's making me want to rip my hair out not knowing as well. I've read that they have shown Danny Phantom in almost every place but there just certain place it's not showing and no idea how to find it. As for Avatar no news either. You think something is a world-wide phenomenon be eager to show their third season. More so than ever taking into consideration what transpired in the second season finale last December. To bad for Mako may his spirit rest in peace. I really want to hear the new guy for Iroh and see if he can do the former voice some justice"

"But that why I love you guys. You two understand there more to life then dueling furthermore can accept winning and losing. Those are remarkably admirable traits to have. Also, you don't become consumed by the stupidly some do by this game. It's one of the reasons I loath Kaibutt so much. He truly seems incapable of love. After all true humanity is the ability to care more about others then you care about yourself. Needless to say from the way we've each observe Kaibutt having a heart with love is as likely as Omi off Xiaolin Showdown 86's his sun-sized ego and knowing true humility. Not going to happen!"

All the time they're talking about this not one of them was aware that the Vixens were ready to start phase two of their plan to get a piece of Yami's hair. They stood still as the cold stone gargoyles they hid among. They're scanning with their cat eyes for something for them to manipulate. They saw it coming from the northwest side of town at 45 mph.

Someone was riding an extremely nice motorcycle. But from where the Vixens stood the unknown rider on this wicked bike would miss the Prince all together unless they hit a detour that is. All nodding they reached into their pockets and removed some type of glittering powder. With a gentle blow, the powder left their hands and took to the wind.

It then settles in the approaching rider path and instantly fabricated a very realistic illusion of an alternative route, therefore, causing the rider to take the path leading to Atem.

Seto had just exited the refueling station. He still looked rather green around the gills. He feeble attempted to wipe the remaining vomit from his mouth however didn't get an opportunity. Just before his shaking white hands got to the slime on his chin, his blue eyes saw the danger approaching his cousin.

He yelled out a warning to his cousin whom immediately shielded his companions with his body knowing they'd be safe from harm. Seto also quick to act used the emergency energy in the ring he'd been forced to wear and with all his might was able to stop the cyclist in the nick of time.

The accident was avoided by a hair's breadth escape severe injury. The first one to react was the cyclist. They wore a full body cloud white and sky blue bodysuit and matching helmet with a dark visor. Quickly removing their helmet it was the same young woman from the bakery.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I just was in a hurry to get to work and then had to take a detour there was just no time to slow down! Are you all ok?" she asked as she has begun to inspect all of them like their where young children. As Kisara continued to apologize and make sure no was injured Seto's head was only increasing in pain.

Fast as lightning extremely indistinguishable imagery flooded his mind. With each passing moment, the pain got even more excruciating as whatever was inside him was clawing to get out. He was so preoccupied with unexplained events tearing him up he didn't see that Yami had made some kind of deal with Kisara. As soon as he's able to feel somewhat normal everyone was gone. Standing in their place laughing was a raven.

Seto didn't know where the hell his cousin had wandered off too but knew he'd too find him immediately. Something was happening to him and he needs to find out what the hell it was. So stuffing another cookie in his mouth he went in the direction he'd last seen him heading.

Yami was with his mother at the moment. She was attempting to paint him; on the other hand, he was being rather fidgety. He wasn't sitting still at all and was far keener on using magic to read anything and everything on the subject of driving. Kisara to show how sorry she was promised to teach him how to ride a motorcycle and he was extremely anxious to get started.

So as his mother was in vain attempting to paint him, he was using some magic in addition to doing it the normal way to learn about driving so he could go get his learners to permit. Aziza was up in her room cleaning it up against something she'd been neglecting and Yugi offered to help her while Samira attempt to do this painting. So far cleaning Aziza's bedroom was the only thing getting done.

After 20 minutes, Samira shut off her CD player. It'd been playing the Jamie O'Neal CD Shriver. Samira rather enjoyed the songs but didn't care at all for 7, 8, 9, or 13. She really liked 3, 6, 10, 11 the most. So she allowed 3 to finish before she stopped it.

"Yami, honey I can't really do this painting if you won't settle down. I admit I can't really blame you for being eager to learn to drive. I can't think of a teenager who wouldn't want to get their license to freedom. But do you think you're ready? Driving can be very scary."

'How can driving be scary?" he asked as he used magic to absorb yet another book on the subject.

"Well, you've too put up with all the other people who might not be doing what they're supposed to do. There are many confusing laws and then the weather. Oh, the interstate for first timers will defiantly make you want to have a defaulter handy. There a very big difference from these," holding up a book, "and then handling that," pointing out the front window where her turquoise Pontiac Sunfire was parked.

"Just remember, Yami. Driving is a serious responsibility and shouldn't be taken lightly," she warned him.

The bell rang and they looked as Seto stumbled in. He looked atrocious!

"Seto?" Yami said as he gazed at his cousin chalk white body that shaking like it was stuck on the Rictor scale. He was apparently having trouble breathing as well, "Help me," he croaked hoarsely before he became cataleptic on the vibrantly tiled floor.

"Seto!" both of them cried as they raced to his side. Yami quickly checked his cousin pulse and found it was racing a tad. Though it was impossible for him to have a fever and the temperature was rather cool Seto was sweating as if he was living on the sun.

"C' mon Yami! Help me get him to the guest room quickly!" she told him as she gently stroked her nephew pale face soothingly. They clumsy dragged him to the guest room. It was as she promised being prepared for him but still a room was a room. All this noise, of course, didn't escape Aziza sharp hearing and she and Yugi came to see what was going on.

"Oh my god! What's happened to your cousin, Yami?! Is he sick? Should we call a doctor?" asked Yugi as he helped get Seto into bed.

"I don't know Yugi. I mean I thought he just has a stomachache taking into consideration he ate loads of cookies. But that doesn't explain the rest of his symptoms at all," Yami said at the same time as they placed a heavy electric blanket over him.

"Here's some water and a cold compress, which should help some. If you'd told me what I can't see I might be able to be of assistance. My mom Efra was a nurse after all and I've been to an adequate amount psychotherapist in my lifetime to have a little insight," Aziza offered as Samira and Yami helped Seto swallow some ginseng tea Yugi had made earlier.

"He very pales as if he lost all pigmentation in his skin cells, he won't stop shaking or sweating, trouble to breathe, and he was obsessive eating cookies," Yami summed up.

"His temperature is normal, Basest. 98.6 And my nephew isn't sensitive to anything. So I don't believe this is an infection of any kind," Samira kindheartedly clued-up her daughter at the same time as she daps his forehead with the washcloth.

"I believe you're right in that assessment, Mom. Whatever is causing our cousin discomforted isn't found within the body. No this is coming from within his soul. Something inside him wants out,"

"How do you know that, sis?"

"Well, we'll be required to take a course in Basic Psychology last year. And its well-known fact the human body is far more complex then it appears to be, particularly the mind Yami. If Seto has something trapped deep within his subconscious mind and something was able to trigger it then it'd explain what's happening now," Yugi informed him.

"So what can we do? He looks like he is a lot of pain and I can't bear to see him like this,"

"Not a whole lot any of us can do. If these symptoms he's displaying are indeed the result of repressed memory trying to get out then there only one thing we can do. That's doing our best keep him comfortable," Aziza informed her brother thoughtfully.

"But…"

"You're sister speaks the truth, Little Angel. I'm afraid none of us are trained enough in the ways of the Mind to aid Seto. He's going to have to endure this one on his own. His mind needs to be allowed in its own time to unlock whatever it sealed away. The important thing is it won't remain sealed up forever because like I told you before. Something severely traumatic happens to you, you need to talk about or it will kill you. One way or another it shall kill you. All we can do is keep him relatively comfortable till he can get through this,"

"I trust all of your judgment. Very well Seto shall remain here. I'm going to go tell Mahad in person that piece of information. Yugi tells Grandpa I'll be a little late getting back to the shop ok?"

"Ok. See you later Aziza, Mrs. Keeper. I hope Seto gets better quickly," Yugi said as he and Yami headed for the door. "That little Yugi will depend exclusively on my nephew himself. Is he ready to remember what he for so long purposely forced himself to forget? Yami do be careful,"

"I will Mom! Aziza? Be a good sister and make sure our cousin gets the best of care, promise me?"

"I do anything for the universe greatest brother. No need to worry he's in safe hands,"

Yami did meet Mahad in the lobby of the Holiday Inn to enlighten about Seto's current condition. He knew it was extremely risky for Seto to remain with his mother however she was the only other person who might be able to help him through this. Besides the protection, the spell had proven effective in protecting all that Yami held dear.

Mahad also agreed with Atem on all that he said. He also said he felt a huge storm was on the way. Something was going on back home in Xanadu and despite the fact that it was absolutely clear to Mahad himself that Atem had no desire to ever return to that Hell in the sky. He made it clear that until Atem birthday had come and gone they still keep an eye on him. By the look in each of their eyes, it was clear neither of them wants to go back. So they agreed to keep up the charade of trying to 'persuade' him to go home till but in truth try and think of a plan to get free of Xanadu and Aknamkanon once and for all.

After a few more minutes of chewing the fat, they said sayonara to each other and went their separate ways. Yami started to head back to the game shop and Yugi but stopped. The Kaiba Corp. The building was only a couple minutes out of the way. And he really wanted to get his learners to permit tonight! Kisara said she was Kaibutt personal assistant so if Kaibutt was at the office she'd be there as well. Then they could go to the DMV and get his permit and start first thing in the morning teaching him about driving. So he ran to the building.

It seemed almost too good to be true at first. He didn't stop to think how unnatural it was for the building not too have guards or that anyone he did see, knew before saying anything where to find Kisara Zen. He was just way too impatient to get on a motorcycle and ride.

He was told to go to Kaibutt's private office on top of the building. He got there and was hearing something he couldn't identify happening inside. Still, the mousy secretary told him to go right in. He didn't see her murderous smile as he turned the knob.

It was very dark with a low glow of almost used up candles. There was still something going on. However, Yami hadn't yet gained night vision. So he flipped on the light and was just as stunned as Kaibutt and Kisara. There was a disregard bowl of chocolate strawberries on the carpet and both of their tops were off. Yami realized almost immediately he walked in on a mating ritual considering how big the hickey on Kisara neck was, they must have been really going at it!

Kaibutt was really, really embarrassed for being caught with his pants down. Honestly not a soul desires to be walked in on when they're having sex with someone do they? "I drew a picture of this on deviant. So if you want too see it and laugh as much as I'm right now please go!"

For a few moments, no one said anything. Though each of their faces was red as beets! Finally, Kisara knowing if Kaiba got the first word out there be fresh red blood spilled on the nice blue carpet. "Uh Yami, please excuse us for a few minutes? Go wait down the hall in the converse room to left. Please hurry," she told him while trying to cover up her boobs. She didn't have a clue where her bra was.

"Yeah, uh see you in five minutes!" he stammered and bolted before Kaibutt could hurtle his desk at him. He could hear quite well some arguing going on as he got to the converse room.

If Yami didn't understand the word embarrassed by now he knew it well now! He was so shocked that he didn't realize the room wasn't unoccupied. "You ok, Yami?" spoke a voice from behind.

Whipping around he saw it was Mokuba. He had a milkshake with some doughnuts and was holding a comic book called "Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder, Issue no. 1"

The long-haired boy didn't seem angry or anything threatening. He seemed very curious and concerned.

"Uh, hi Mokuba. How you doing?" he asked with a nervous chuckle.

"I'm ok you're not? What happened?"

"Um well I came to see if Kisara was free to go with me to the DMV so I'd get my learner permit, but I kinda walked in on her and Kaiba doing um something rather…"

"Seto was having sex with Kisara?" he said as if he were talking about the weather.

"How can you not be um...?"

"Uncomfortable? Well because they've done it before and it's because she waltzes into my brother live he start to change. At a snail's pace but he is starting to show he wants the world to forgive him for his past sins and he wishes to earn his own atonement in his mind,"

"Forgiveness?"

"Look I won't lie and say my brother hasn't been at the time a jackass. But I've learned to forgive people because holding onto grudges or hate or any kind of blood feud is just stupid. Everyone deserves the chance to be forgiven, Yami. The real question is will they take that chance to make better them and then earn forgiveness with themselves and the world. Those who learn to forgive themselves and forgive others are one step closer to understanding God. For only those willing to forgive earn the right to be forgiven in turn,"

Yami seemed to really take Mokuba words to heart and looked at the long ebony haired boy with much pride in his eyes. This youth was indeed very special if he knew so much for being so young.

"Uh Yami?" called out Kisara from the door. She was now fully clothed but still slightly pink in her fair cheeks.

"Gomenasai for everything, Kisara! I'm so sorry. I'll understand if you don't wish to tutor me in driving. I'm so sorry!" he apologized to her.

"It's ok, Yami. Some people just have a really cruel sense of humor. Look we've got some time. I'll take you to the DMV and will see if your ready for your learner permit, ok? Mokuba you better go and calm down your brother before he decides to take legal action just because that new secretary wanted a laugh," Kisara advice to Mokuba.

"Will do, Kisara. See you later Yami! Don't worry Seto doesn't know any hit men," he told him sarcastically. Yami just playfully whacked him lightly on his head as he left. As Mokuba threw his trash away he felt something in his hair, it was feathers.

Well, Yami did get his permit and Kisara said she teaches him at the college parking lot first thing in the morning. That night before turning in he called to see how Seto was doing. His mom said he wasn't sweating nearly as much but he still was white and shaking. She had given him a sleeping pill so he'd hopeful sleep some. Samir had promised to stay with him that night.

So that was it was like for the week. Spending all morning with Kisara who was trying to help him master driving and patience. Then spending the afternoon with Seto who was slowly beginning to remember what he'd forgotten. Nothing was very sure yet as the memories were very vague and chaotic so it was slow and painful for him.

It was Friday night and Yami just couldn't sleep at all. His cousin had stopped sweating, wasn't shaking so bad but was still white as powder and kept mumbling something that sound like a recipe and humming a tune he didn't know. Also, the Vixen hadn't reared their ugly heads since trying to poison everyone at the bakery.

He'd gained a few new abilities since entering stage two. Such as reading an object history, reanimated, astral protection, minor control over time, phasing, and limited teleported powers. He was still taking his pills and listening to music to keep him in control. Yet nothing could stop him from worrying.

He went to the bathroom to get some water, smiling seeing Yugi asleep peacefully. He looked so adorable like a cherub. The bathroom window was adjured slightly but as he went to close it he notices something strange. It was a large van driving quietly through the street. Not only was it almost midnight but this large van had a Blue Eyes White Dragon on the side of it.

He'd like to find out what this was about. So he used his new astral protection to make a copy of himself to fool Yugi and Grandpa should either wake. Then he teleported outside and began to follow the van.

The BEWD van after traveling quietly for awhile stopped in front of a large building. The Domino City Homeless Shelter. Yami watched quietly as Kaiba along with Mokuba and Kisara got out and began to unload a lot of packages. They made a quick deposit of these packages. In out five minutes before leaving and going to Domino City Orphanage and did the same thing. Yami waited and teleported inside while they stopped at Foster Care. He used his phasing to remove something from one of the boxes. It was a Duel Disk, with a wicked deck. In fact, all this stuff was top of the line Duel Monsters merchandises.

He was so preoccupied he didn't realize Kaibutt had already come out of the building. "You again! Do you have got a death wish?!"

"Kaiba!" Yami said as he fell backward over the boxes. Luckily nothing was broken. Kaiba told Kisara and Mokuba to hang back. "Look if you've got to know I won't press charge for the incident on Monday. But if you spill a word about me being charitable I make you wish you're never born! Got that?"

"Yes, Kaiba I understand. But could you tell me what all this is?"

"I've secretly for several years left some of my more wicked toys for those who got nothing anonymously. The only way it's a real act of charity is if no one knows who did it. I've done this because of the time Mokuba and I spent in a horrible orphanage and I want the kids to at least to have something cool. Don't tell anyone this you got it? I don't want people thinking I'm a softy either!"

"Allow me to help you finish this duty and I won't tell anyone about this or the other incident so long as I breathe. You've my word of honor,"

"Ok,"

Kaiba dropped Yami back off the Game Shop at 1:00 and reminded him of his threat and promise. Yami restated he'd not reveal this to anyone. As Yami went to sleep Kaiba found stuck on his jacket feathers.

The next day Yami went with Kisara too get his license seeing how he'd greatly mastered every aspect of driving. She handed him her extra helmet so he'd have one to take the test in. He was a bit nervous but he indeed past with flying colors. He was so happy he yanked off the helmet too fast as yelped as a few of his golden bangs came out with it.

"Thank you Kisara for everything. For driving lessons and teaching me something about patience! You're indeed a special young woman. You are indeed Kaiba's angel,"

"Thank you, Yami. You yourself are a special soul and I hope to get to know you more. Listen my Daddy has a lot of different cars and builds some as hobbies if you want I can ask to make your own custom motorcycle. How about that?" she asked him shyly.

"That'd be great! C'mon I want to show my friends that I can drive! Especially my mother and Yugi. Let's go. Just need to get my helmet first. Hey, where is that thing I know I put it down here a second ago,"

They looked a few minutes till the driving instructor came in and said she found it outside. Someone must've taken by mistake and was too lazy to return it. So they drove off to see everyone.

While they were happy to see Yami had gotten his wheels the mood was shattered when Aziza came running and said Yami better hightailed back to the Art Galley pronto. Seto need him now!

He said goodbye to all his friends and ran. Kisara shouted that she'd hope everything was alight and looked at Yami helmet it had feathers stuck to the visor.

Seto still looked like hell, to be honest, and he looked on the verge of tears. Tears he couldn't shed of course. He had a very strange look on his face as Samira was soothingly talking to him. She'd had her own indescribable look on her face.

Yami came in with Aziza. He took his cousin hand to let him know whatever memory he'd been trying to reclaim was he wouldn't have to face it alone.

"You ok Seto?"

"No, I'm not ok, Yami. Not by far. I'm scared. Sacred to remember this memory yet it will kill me if I don't acknowledge it. I can't suppress it any longer. But I can't relive it alone either," Seto replied in a voice barely above a whisper.

"You can do this cousin. Whatever it's you don't have to face it by yourself. You're real family here for you. I'm here for you cousin,"

"You cannot hold it back any longer Seto if you do it will only prolong this unnecessary suffering. Please, nephew let free this burden you've trapped within your soul for so long," Samira told him gently.

"I remember my mother. I remember how she died," he said in an unemotional tone of voice. He slowly told them what his heart had been trying to tell his mind all week long.

"It was early morning not quite dawn yet. Yet the room was very lively. The wonderful smells of baking filled the air. The normal clean dining room was now magical convert into a kitchen. It was a mess.

But that didn't bother the two souls. A young looking woman dressed in lilac with matching pixie wings was busy humming a wonderful tune as her son was busy trying to help make cookies. He was only about 3 ½ so he was doing a bit more harm then good but that was alright.

"Seth doesn't put too much sugar in ok, sweet? Also try not to get too dirty because I know you hate to take a bath," Aida scolded him lightheartedly. She giggled amusedly as he started to sneeze due to the flour.

"I want to help Mommy! I love it when it's just you and me! This is the best game you've ever had us play! I can't wait to try these things. What did you call them again?"

"They're called cookies, honey. I guarantee you there ten times better then those stupid Star Candies your father selfishly hoards for himself. We're going to make enough for all of Xanadu!" she said as cleaned him up some and put a fresh batch in their oven.

Seto and his mom spend hours all morning baking and just being childish. He loved it when he got to try his first cookie. A chocolate chip with a hint of cinnamon cookie shaped like a Blue Eyes. He loved watching that dragon and listening to her sing.

They just finished filling up another tin when Aknadin came back. He scowled at the sight. Aida whispered to Seto to go to his room and play with his toys. Seto, however, wanted more cookies. One taste and he was hooked so he tried to sneak back and get one more.

As he hid under the table neither of his parents knew he was there watching them. His father was screaming like a howling beast at his mother. His mother was also screaming but she didn't sound like a beast. She seemed to be angry as well as annoyed along with frustrated. She went to pull another batch of cookies out from the oven when his father picked her up by her breast and threw her into a wall.

The violence got worse and all Seto could do was watch in silent horror as his father continued to assault his mother and finally unleashed his trademark move the Blue Phoenix and she was burned alive. He burned her not even flinching as she screamed as she was murdered. Her wings destroyed he'd his Phoenix go in for the finale and killed her leaving nothing but a pile of ashes. He stepped on them and kicked them around and left.

Seto was stunned and couldn't believe this. His father had thrown a tantrum and the end result left him without his mother. This couldn't be this couldn't be! He fled his home and wander aimlessly until he came to the Dragon Zone. He wanted to cry but of course, couldn't but was so distraught.

Some of the Dragons saw the boy and went to attack him out of the anger they felt for being trapped like this. But the Blue Eyes protect him and said the boy was under her protection. She turned to him and promised whenever he'd need her she be there and to help him right now she used a secret power to help him forget this incident as if it where a dream till he was ready to come to terms with what had occurred."

"Aknadin put to death my mother for being a mother. The Blue Eyes helped the best she could by at least helping me cope best she knew how. I've always had a spiritual bond with her and I thank her for allowing me to keep my innocent a little longer. But now I remember and I want to take them down!"

"We'll do our best, Seto. Someway somehow those heartless fiends will pay," Yami told his cousin firmly.

Back at the Vixen Garden, they're smiling. Removing the hairs from a plastic bag then forced them into one of the white orbs. The orb changed from white to bloody red as a shadow flame now engulfed the hair. One part the puzzle came to life.

"One down two to go. Next week get something of that damn prince's Mind!"

Once more the Ravens joined the wicked sisters in their devilish laughter.


	14. Trials of Fatherhood

"Trials of Fatherhood"

It was so late it was early. First light was still far off yet you'd see it making its way up on the dark purplish-blue heavens. Mahad was standing out on his balcony in a complimentary dressing gown the hotel had provided. It was a little chilly for true spring was still not yet here. On the other hand, it'd seem spring would be without a doubt early this year.

The legendary dark mage shook his head in a depressing manner. He'd wished his spirited were as happy as the sea of stars both above and below him. The lights of this great city seemed to be laughing in joyous glee. He envied at that moment how even the stars had more freedom along with fun then he and his people had.

His stunningly attractive chestnut eyes continue to gaze out the sea of lights. The Ring around his neck was now picking up a new kind of energy and this was causing it to act most peculiarly. His Ring was capable of many functions but right now it just was glowing very intensely and a strange melody was being played because of this unusual behavior.

"Penny for your thoughts, beloved?" spoke a soothing velvet voice from behind him. Turning around he saw his wife Isisa standing in her silk tangerine nightgown with her own robe around her elegant figure. She had within her in one hand two cups of an unknown substance and in her other the daily report scroll.

"Did I wake you with my restlessness?" he said taking one of the mugs from her hand and they sat at a small table on the balcony.

"No, Mahado you didn't. I didn't sleep very much at all. How could any we truly get a really good night sleep knowing our fate is no matter what death or severe punishment? I gave Mana one of those human sleeping pills so she at least gets some sleep. We need to have a discussion,"

"I know. Seto starling revelation that was buried deep within him, only confirms what we've known since the original Xanadu fell. It's time for us, along with the Prince, to start to really think of a plan that will set free the souls that aren't damned or corrupted. I believe Queen Samira was right so long ago when she said "If one can't be free of fear or can't love then they'll never be able to experience true freedom at all,"

"Yes I saw once on the TV a movie called "The Color of Friendship" It was on channel 43 known as "Disney Channel" a few nights ago. Told the real story of two young girls, one white the other black and how they made a friendship despite the racisms as well as prejudice around them. The father of the black girl spoke at the end of the film of four freedoms that are key in life. Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Choice, Freedom of Religion and most importantly Freedom to live without Fear,"

"I've too watched the magical box known as television. It certainly a whole realm of its own. Yet I've learned my own fair share of things from it," he said as he sipped the steaming brown liquid. But just as it passed his lips he got a very revulsion look on his adorable face and spit it out over the side of the balcony.

"YUCK! What pray tells was that most awful liquid I almost ingested?" he asked as she handed him a napkin.

"It's called coffee. I do express regret as well as your forgiveness, but it was the only thing I could get at 5:00 A.M. from room service. I never smell or taste something this vulgar from the time we left Xanadu. The smell of this thing is giving me a headache,"

"How do human manage to swallow that stuff?"

"I don't know. There are many things in this life and universe that will forever remain a mystery and this is one of them. How is Seto doing by the way? What did the Queen have to report to you?"

"She said he'd be well enough to return this morning. I'm glad she was able to help him through such troubled times. From what Atem was saying it must have hurt just as bad or worse then when the King did my old master trademark 'trick' on me,"

Isis shook her head in sorrow in memory of her new husband punishment, which he willingly had endured to save their daughter's life. She also recalled that it was just as horrifying as it was before the Xanadu Universe fell when Calicfer did it. Calicfer the Fire Mage looked like the Dark Magician on the Duel Monster cards but his garments were blood red as were his eyes.

As they squeezed each other hands the first true rays of dawn made their rings shine brighter then the sun itself. It was time to think of plans of freedom. For them, their daughter, and all the good souls who deserve better then what they had.

"So are you sure it's safe to talk 'mutiny as well as treason?" Mahad inquired inquisitively to Isis who smiled and kissed his lips with her warm breath. "I'm positive my love that it's safe to talk. One of Prince Atem's spell surrounds us and this building so the Vixens can't step foot on it without hurting themselves and two just as I set up a secret commutation to our friends in Xanadu. I've made it impossible for Aknamkanon or any of his wicked cohorts to eavesdrop on us. Rest assures we can talk safely.

Blushing crimson from her unforeseen kiss, "How is that you a priestess is such a codemaster?"

"I assume that endowment is from my nameless father side of the gene pool. I never knew him to do to the gender laws. As you know only the highest ranking elite, royal, aristocrats and such are allowed to have both parents be present for the child rearing. Middle class and below aren't,"

"Despite us, both rose to Elite in life we're born into the middle class. If I remember correctly your mother Meryt-Isis was very much a social climber like my own sire Markl,"

"Yes, Mother was one looking to advance regardless of being extremely bashful at times. She never spoke of my father even after I was not 16 nor when I Ascended did she even bring him up. But my mother wasn't skilled at all in the way of codes. So I assume it must be from my unknown father because it feels like its genetic not just something I picked up."

After a few silent moments think of those who'd raised them they got back to what was important. Freedom. That what was important most of all was freedom! They needed to do something soon or everyone who deserved to be free would be dead inside.

"We've more then just the problem of getting out of Xanadu without dying. That's only half the battle. Even if we do come to live on this planet we require the following things, identification papers, housing, and occupation to survive. We simply can't just go on living here at this hotel nor can we simply," snapping his fingers "Suddenly started living like humans do in all those TV shows and movies," Mahad stated in a practical manner to Isis who used a small bit of magic to change the nasty coffee to Hawaiian punch.

"You're correct Mahad. I'm sure Queen Samira could aid us in getting citizenship in addition to all the other needed requirements done," sipping her red punch gleefully. "She is more familiar with the human world and lived on it the longest. 14 years! The Prince has been hiding for only six weeks, we even less,"

"So if Samira and her human love can at least be of assistance us obtain proper paperwork that'd be a step in the right direction. What about housing?"

"Already thought of that, look at this," Isis said unrolling the newspaper to the real estate section. "Remember the Prince's math professor at the human Academy does flourishing landed property on the side? We could've Atem ask him to show us some type of low-cost housing and we could then at least have a roof over our heads. We don't need anything fancy, Mahad. We just need something that would at least allow us to live adequately,"

"One problem, Isisa. One of the first things we all learned about this planet is the cursed necessary evil of money. We don't have any other then to pay for our stay here at this place. Where do you plan to get hold of an adequate amount of-of this money to make a down payment on any sorta human dwelling? None of us have jobs or enough knowledge at this point to get one. Even if we did get work the first paycheck wouldn't be as much as necessary to compensate for any housing at all,"

She turned away from her husband of one week. They'd been in love for longer then forever and only married a week. She was blushing big time but he didn't comprehend why seeing no reason for her to be self-conscious.

Sighing heavily she reached into her pocket and produced a lovely dreamy amethyst pouch. Undoing the drawstring and turning it upside-down out came tons of necklaces. Each necklace was made up of the most beautiful and unique stones you've ever seen. The colors and shapes were unlike anything are ever seen before. There were other priceless trinkets mixed in as well. An ancient amulet in addition to an assortment of charms was scattered amongst the necklaces. Mahad gawked at the sight of so many nearly priceless treasures.

"Secret Path Story Stones? Dream Gems? An Elverum Amulet? Friendship Charms? All in a Purple Moon Silk Pouch? Isis these possessions in this world would make us billionaires if we sold them! Where in Xanadu did you obtain all this?"

"It's my dowry. My mother gave it to me just before we left to go meet my intended husband Oretail. Thankfully, however, we didn't need to use it because we never actually wedded," Isis informed him with a shudder. She didn't like thinking about her past.

'You've had that sitting in your pocket for countless eons and you never spent it? That takes a lot of self-control. I'm impressed by your restraint, my love."

"Mahad focus! Look, one of my necklaces will be enough to pay for housing for up to 18 months. By then we most likely will have found employment of some type and can settle in like normal humans. I've also considered applying to the local museum as a curator. I've many talents and I like to try something to help out. With your talents I'm sure you could become some kind of councilor, maybe even a social worker," she told him. She sighed and spoke again. "By that time I hope to enroll Mana in the proper Academy. I have no idea what will happen to Seto, but I'm sure he would enjoy attending school and finding his own place in the world."

"Well I've got something that should help us with the money and finding our work as well," he opened a bag of his own full of coins and teardrop jewels. He held the items out to Isis for inspection.

"Where did this come from? Was this your bride to be dowry?"

Laughing he shook his head, "No, my father Markl collected coins and Goddess Tears as a hobby. He gave me his whole collection as a wedding present. Like you, I have never actually married a week ago. I can only hope that human bankers will be able to turn our treasures into cash for us to use."

So gathering up the life savings they began to plan out how they would spend the next couple of days. They were just finishing making out a to-do inventory when they heard a shriek from the bathroom.

"Mana!" they both cried. They dropped everything and ran back inside to see why their daughter was screaming bloody murder at 5:48 in the morning. Mana was standing in the bathroom doorway very shaken up about something. She was as white as the towel she was holding in her hand. Something seriously spooked her.

"Mana! Sweetheart what's the matter?" asked her mother first at the same time as her daddy got her some water. Mana slowly drank the refreshing liquid yet still managed to get most of it on her nightdress.

"Mana comes on you've nothing to be ashamed of. Tell us what happened this morning?" Isis asked her soothingly.

Mana seemed to have become temporary mute by whatever had just happened to her. All she was able to do was take her mother hand and lead her into the bathroom and shut the door. Deciding to make some use of this time Mahad finished getting things ready for their own private mission.

The sound of the shower and the song "Father and Daughter" made him look up from his work. Isis had an expression on her face that was an odd cross between solemn and uncomfortable. "Mahad could you run down the street to the gas station and pick up two packs of these," she instructed him handing him some coupons from the Sunday morning paper. She didn't look him in the eye as she handed him the slips.

He looked at the small slips of paper with a shocked look on his face. "75 percent off Stay Free Maxi Pads" "What is the meaning of this? What unforeseen development has occurred?" he asked confused as he looked at the coupons for a second time.

Isis then explained to him what had happened. Like with Prince Atem who'd admit on his first night on Earth he'd had an accident. As immortal beings, they may have to take baths as well as groom themselves, but that was about it.

On the other hand, there were a few things they didn't have to contend with as normal humans did. The use of the toilet was one and another surprisingly for females of divinity was having a menstrual cycle. On the other hand with their wings temporary immobilized they now were subject to all the functions of a normal human body. It was very embarrassing for Mana.

Mana had screamed because she had witnessed blood for the first time and didn't comprehend how she'd lose blood if her wings were still intact. Isis had finally been able to deduce the reason of this. Immortal couldn't bleed from physical injury; on the other hand, a normal bodily function was the loophole to the rule. In view of the fact that Mana hadn't been injured she merely was experiencing her period. In light of that, someone had to go get her the supplies she required to manage this problem.

"I need to stay here and keep her calm. Just go it will only take 15 minutes," with a fleeting kiss Mahad left to get the pads. He ran into Seto in the lobby who he just yanked along with him.

They grabbed two 20 packs paid and got back to the hotel. By this time Isis had made a few need phone calls. She relayed some news to the people back in Xanadu they trusted, mainly the other members of the court save the King and his brother, and then left the daily report for Aknamkanon. She was just getting done with a two-way with the Queen and Prince when the men returned. She sighed with relief upon seeing them.

"OK, thank you for your help. Yes, we'll keep the rendezvous as planned. Must be going now, Mahad along with Seto have returned with Mana's supplies. Ok, see you both later. May you have got a magnificent day as well, your Majesties," as she flipped her cell phone closed. Like Seto's phone was adorned with his Soul Beast hers was adore with a lovely picture of Spirit the Divine Beast which was her Soul Friend, the equivalent of a human best friend.

She knocked once and reminded Mana she had nothing to be ashamed about. They make sure that she wasn't put to death for simply doing what girls do. Mana confidence had grown a lot over the recent weeks yet she was still very nervous and easily discouraged. Finally, Mana let her mother in to help her figure this out. The men just waited outside clueless about what to do next.

At the same time as Mahad's family was dealing with their problems of starting a new life on Earth, the Vixens were dealing with their own set of tribulations as well. They'd been extremely ecstatic in how the manipulated the Prince into forking over some of his hideous locks. When they'd delivered the information to their superiors their mistress smiled an evil Mona Lisa smile. Though they been given a great deal of eulogizing and also been given an Adonis of a stripper for the night, it didn't change the mission objective. They now needed something to represent Prince Atem's Mind!

At that moment they're having an acupuncture treatment along with getting their nails done at the same time. They enjoyed being pincushion not too mention it really did relieve stress. That and it got them ready for their morning yoga. "So we need a plan, my sisters. One that shall guarantee us something of the Prince's Mind. We also need to keep the Court on edge and keep a close eye on the Prince Ascending," Shakti informed her sisters.

"Yes, sister. We want to make sure, he's not too powerful that even after the Darklight Ritual been performed he won't by hook or by crook mess-up the plans to resurrected Xanadu," Oba spat angrily.

"Just remember, sister. No need to get our hands dirty with the actual work if we can get some poor sap to do it for us. We had those vermin perfectly execute the plan to get Atem drunk and that poor lady didn't even realize she was doing our job for us. So remember that sisters why to do work that others can do for you?" Pomona added acidly.

So they began their yoga session and talked amongst each other as they bent over in odd poses on how to do this plan. As they toweled off and ate some chocolate éclairs they finally thought of something to do. Snapping their fingers they morphed into their normal chic clothing.

"Ladies time to go to work. Now, remember on this hunt show no mercy. We all know what to do and when to do it! Remember this fact though. We need that Mind Item before midnight Saturday. This Ritual is time sensitive and we can't be one second late! Now go forth and let's hunt!" Shakti ordered her sisters who nodded before heading off towards their goal. A single representation of the idiot Prince's mind was all they needed to complete this hunt.

Sunday was an odd day indeed. While Saturday you at least had cool shows to watch in the morning and it was a party kinda feeling the day. Sunday, on the other hand, was languid, frequently depressing weather and no decent TV. If you weren't overly religious and didn't go to church you had to find something else to do with your time. Yet most of the stories were closed on Sunday. So Sunday killed the weekend and was extremely lackluster for the most part. At least that what many of the teens in Domino City thought.

In view of that fact, Yami was still in his pajamas with Yugi. They were deeply involved in a heated Duel. The radio was playing the song "American Soldier." Silver wrappers lay at the boys' bare feet as did the crumbs. They had both eaten some Pop-tarts as fast as they could while dueling at the same time.

They both woke up long ago way before dawn. They both were still experiencing their recurring dreams. They'd not shared them with each other though they felt they should. "You know Yami; after I win this duel you want to go check out the library? There are probably a ton of good books there also I promised I'd met Grandpa there later. He meeting some of his friends there and I said I show up," Yugi said as he played the Dark Magician Card.

"I do love libraries and I've been dying to see what your's has to offer. Besides, it should give me enough time to figure out my latest problem," Yami replied playing the Dark Magician Girl and countering Yugi's move.

"Oh, and what problem is that Yami? You don't seem to be having as many problems as you did when your first came here. I mean when I found you couldn't even mop and now look at you. You're nearly independent!" Yugi said sighing in defeat as he was destroyed.

"I have plenty of problems here in Domino that I never had in Xan… I mean my home country. In my home, my sire is a malicious oppressor and here I find my mother happily married to a man who loves her dearly. Samir wants to have a father-son get together with me and I'm unsure how to respond to this. I know nothing of him and I'm unsure how to respond to his attempts towards me. I don't know how to be a son and I know not what a true father is. I just don't know how to interact with this man at all," confessed Yami disturbingly at the same time as the pair walked to the library

"Well for one Samir is a very good man. You seen how Aziza turned out didn't you? You think your sister be that wicked awesome if her father wasn't a bit as well? Samir is highly intelligent in addition to an incredibly compassionate young man. He has the gift of words and tongues and has helped millions"

"So he's a decent young man? I guess I knew that, doesn't change the fact I don't know how to deal with this man," was all he said as they entered the huge library. For a moment the mountain of books reminded Yami of the time he spends with the kind soul Shimon after his mom disappeared. He remembered the joy of learning to read and when he read his first book how proud Shimon had been. He never could understand why that sweet old man was his father's favorite punching bag beside himself.

Thinking about Shimon made him miss Shada and Karim as well. While he hadn't had much interaction with those two guardians they had always treated him like a person. Shada would tell him stories about old Xanadu while Karim would draw him interesting pictures to look at. Another person he desperately wished to see once more was Shadi; he was the wise spirit who gave out judgment in Xanadu. He knew that Shadi tried to lessen the punishments he was forced to give to the citizens in order to make up for the tyrant's wraith. They were indeed pleasant memories to revisit however; he was rudely pulled from those memories of his childhood by a child.

"Hello, my darling! So wonderful to see you again! Hey hands off my Yugi buster!" snapped a young fair-haired girl with bifocals. As she shoved him away from his Yugi and knocked his I-pod off. He quickly put his I-pod back on that was playing the song "Could it be?" He had just made contact with the girl to reminded her of her manners when something strange happened to him.

His eyes went wide as weird and wonderful images materialized in his mind. He could see this girl, Rebecca Hawkins, as a baby getting tested for her IQ. The image changed once more and he saw two adults, a tall willowy woman, and a heavy built man, both with blond tresses and blue eyes talking to Rebecca. Their names were Mura and Markese Hawkins and they were a climatologist. They were going away for a long time to study different climate variables so she was going to go live with her grandfather Professor Hawkins. Another flash and this time he saw Rebecca a teenager and she was on a date with someone who suspiciously looked Mokuba!

The visions stopped when Rebecca jerked her shoulder free and glared up at him. "What is your problem? You have something to say or are you mute? Well, I'm waiting!"

"Rebecca really that isn't polite. I must apologize for my granddaughter's behavior. Sometimes she forgets her manners just because she's a genius. My name is Arthur Hawkins and I'm a friend to Solomon Moto. You must be the young gentleman who's staying with him. Yami correct?" Professor Hawkins said extending his hand and Yami shook it. This time he was ready and controlled the visions he saw.

"Yes, that's correct. I came to the library with Yugi and was startled by Rebecca here. I'm not that use children shoving me about. I accept your apology. So you are Rebecca, I've heard a lot about you including that you're a genius. Is that so?" Yami asked politely trying to shake off the visions he saw concerning her family.

"That's right you're looking at a certified genius! My IQ was one of the highest ever tested in the US. What about you how smart are you?" Rebecca inquired as Solomon and Yugi came over hopefully to rescue the poor boy.

"Young Yami here is a smart lad indeed. The school contacted me recently saying they've never seen such high scores on their placement tests. I guess living in a library most of your life has some benefits," Solomon laughed heartily.

"Maybe you and Yami should have the challenge to see who's smarter. I know how much you like a challenge Rebecca," Yugi suggested softly. That wasn't a lie this little girl loved to prove how smart she was yet like many people who had great intelligence she lacked in the area of concerning one's heart and common sense.

When they first met Rebecca had been a flat-out bitch to Yugi and his friends. She demanded that Grandpa give her his Blue-Eyes card that she claimed he'd stolen. After nearly losing their sanity and dealing with a lot of other issues while they were away this unexpected surprise wasn't welcomed. It took a great deal to properly handle a child like Rebecca.

Aziza hadn't been able to go with the gang to the Duelist Kingdom so she had come to welcome them home and it took a lot of self-discipline not to mangle Rebecca. Aziza didn't tolerate ANYONE mistreating the people she cared about, especially Yugi. After a great tale, an important lesson learned Rebecca apologized to everyone and they had become friends. However, Rebecca could still be a major pain in the ass when she wanted to be. Which was more frequent then everyone else liked.

"That would is a terrific idea, darling. So you, clone-boy think you can beat a genius in a battle of the brains?" she asked with a strange glint in her eyes.

"Well, I guess if you want to do a battle of wits then so be it. What exactly do have in mind?" he inquired the young girl. Her lips curled up into an icy smile as she reached into her backpack and bulled two thick tomes of some kind. Handing him one of the tomes he looked at the tome title in bewilderment.

"The Genius Super Size Mind Puzzles Games?" he read out loud in confusion. He flipped the book and skimmed through the tome strange pages. This wasn't an ordinary tome at all. This wasn't a narrative manuscript at all. This book required the reader to use their minds to fill in the blanks of this book. It was full of every kind of puzzle you could think of. Crosswords, Word Searches, Logical, Skidoos, Riddles! "I've never seen such a strange tome before"

"Where did you grow up in Greenland? See if you can decipher all that in under a week's time, Yami!" dared Rebecca at the same time as she flipped her pigtails with an arrogant look on her face. "Word in advance you might want to open your cerebrums a great deal if you want to figure these puppies out. Being a whiz kid you can't see just in black and white you have to paint with the colors from your imagination to truly achieve something,"

"Rebecca mind your manners, young lady,' Arthur reminder her, "Why don't you three go find a nice place to start those books? I need to talk to Solomon for a few moments in private about a few things ok?"

"Ok Grandpa we'll be over there by the fiction section next to the diorama of the solar system," Rebecca replied as the kids left to the table in question. She knew she would beat Yami; no way would she lose to him!

"She's a good kid, Arthur and her cookies weren't too bad. You should be proud to have such a beautiful and vibrate young granddaughter," Solomon told his old dear friend as they watch their grandchildren and Yami from afar. He smiled at seeing Yami acting so gregarious. He really had made tremendous progress since he first came to stay with them. In a way, he felt like the boy's own grandfather.

"I'm very proud, Solomon. I'm very pleased with my son and his wife work. He is a very dedicated soul and they only wish to help save mankind and make sure there's still a planet for us to live on in the future. Still, I know it can't be easy on Rebecca having her parent's away from her at such a young age."

"So what is it you wanted to have a discussion with me about? It sounded like you had something important to discuss. Have you made a new discovery in your archeological field?"

"Well actually I have discovered something and in a strange way, I think it's connected to Yami. I told Samir to meet us here because he is the boy's stepfather and I thought he might be able to shed some light on this mysterious discovery."

"What discovery could possibly involve my wife's son old friend? Hello Solomon, hello Arthur it's good to see you. I came as soon as I could. Samira has been extremely worried since Yami came back into her life. She won't tell me what's she's so scared, but she keeps checking on something that she has locked up in our safe. She hasn't done that since Aziza was very small and it has gotten me concerned for her and my newfound son," Samir said joining the two men. He smiled as he saw the children arguing about one of the puzzles before turning his attention back the group.

"It's properly nothing, but Solomon, Samir have you ever heard the legend about Xanadu?" Professor Hawkins asked. Solomon looked at him confused while Samir tensed. He knew of his wife's past, but he had sworn never to tell anyone about them. "Throughout many cultures, there are references to a mystical paradise known as Xanadu. It's said to be a place of peace and harmony. However recent evidence, from some hieroglyphs and scrolls, has come to life that makes me believe that Xanadu wasn't originally a concept created by humans!"

"Arthur, are you saying that the concept of Xanadu came from extraterrestrials? This is even crazier then your last major discovery linking the game of Duel Monsters to Ancient Egypt!" Solomon exclaimed.

"Surely you have more proof then a few references from some old hieroglyphs and scrolls. If it was just one country then your associates will debunk you," Samir pointed out.

"It wasn't just one country. Legends, drawings, artifacts from all the continents including Antarctica all tell of a race of beings known as the Divine Ones. They had huge wings that gave them immortality and each being had a mystical item that was the source of their divinity or magic. According to my research, these beings came to Earth from another galaxy after their own was destroyed. The survivors hoped to find people similar to them so they could build a new home. An ancient tablet I unearthed from an Egyptian Pharaoh's tomb told me an amazing story that filled in the gaps in my research."

"What did it tell you and was it linked to your research into the Duel Monsters game?" Solomon asked on the edge of his seat.

"More to the point what does it have to do with Yami?" Samir asked clearly impressed on how much Arthur had been able to unearth. Samira had told him a great deal of her people origins yet had retained a few of her own secrets.

"The tablet was heavily damaged so I don't know the whole story. It appears that Divine Beings took the Duel Monsters with them to their new home in the sky. The Pharaoh who lived during the period of transitions was appalled by what he saw. He said he noticed the King of Xanadu was using a powerful gem to control the beasts and his people. According to him, the King vowed to return to Earth one day and wipe out the imperfect humans with the help of the Beasts and his people who would lose all hope to live."

"That's terrible and to think if what this Pharaoh wrote was true then for centuries the people of Xanadu have suffered and we might be obliterated because the story of Xanadu fell into legend," Solomon mused. "Did this Pharaoh do anything to prevent this terrible future?"

"Indeed he did, which brings me to your new found son Samir. You see the Pharaoh wrote a prophecy down that, in turn, became a poem all over the world. I believe it's the same poem in your wife's workshop. Now before you ask what this has to do with Yami take a look at this picture," Arthur said showing him a photograph of an ancient tablet. Both Samir and Solomon let out a gasp. The picture looked exactly like Yami, only he was wearing royal garments and had huge wings on his back. The strangest thing about the picture was the strange glow that seemed to surround the boy. "According to the poem, a boy of light and darkness will deliver his people from torture and despair and bring them to freedom in the true Xanadu when he joins with a child holding the purity of Man in his soul. I was wondering if your wife had a reason to name her son after a character in a poem."

"I don't know why that picture resembles Yami, but I can tell you he has nothing to do with this. He's just a normal boy who is trying to find his place in life. I would really like to be part of that life even though I'm unsure of how to that right now. But I do know that all this talk about mystical kingdoms and prophecy's isn't healthy for him. Would you mind not telling Yami about this old friend?" Samir asked. Inside he was curious to know if the boy actually was the savior to his people. Samira never mentioned it and he wouldn't ask her about it.

"Of course Samir I understand. Right now is a difficult time for you. Learning your wife's son has run away from home and turned up here can't be easy. Why don't you go talk to the boy and get to know him? I'm sure that Rebecca, Yugi, and he are done with their challenge," Arthur told him. Samir nodded and headed over to the kids' table wondering what he was going to say.

Yami and Rebecca both were bent over the table working zealously. They'd each taken a packet of new pencils and reduce them to stubs in a matter of minutes. Yugi was timing them both at the same time as they both tried to decipher the hardest brain-teaser in the whole book. This was named ironically "Mercury Rising Challenge" after the movie with Bruce Wills whose character had to keep an autistic boy safe after he inadvertently cracked an 'uncrackable' cryptogram named Mercury.

For once the blond child prodigy was stumped. Never in her short seven years had she come across a person who could think faster then she did. Glancing at him she noticed he wasn't even sweating so she got back to work. She looked helplessly at this befuddling quandary of anomalous cryptogram along with numbers. She racked her genius mind in vain as she was unable to figure out this code. Yami, on the other hand, was having no problem cracking this code. It, in fact, was way too easy for him. To be honest it was the equivalent of the Millennium Language done Pig Latin Style. So it was fairly easy for him to unravel the code although he wondered for a moment if this could constitute as cheating.

Closing the book he smiled as he folded his bare arms. "I'm done. Yugi what's my time?"

"You did a 100-page puzzle book in wow! 38 minutes! I'm very impressed. Rebecca, you have done?" Yugi asked as he checked to make sure his watch was working right. It was and he shrugged deciding Yami was just naturally fast at these sort of things.

"Yes I am," she replied meekly as she slides Yugi her book. She prayed she got all the answers right as Yugi started to look them over. He was going to check to see who had the most right answers. He just finished tallying up their scores when the grown-ups arrived.

"Hey we interrupting anything?" asked Grandpa to Yugi who smiled his angelic smile

"Not at all Grandpa. We're just finishing this challenge up. The final scores are the following Rebecca Hawkins you've got a total 94.6 in your score," everyone clapped for her and she let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Yami you, on the other hand, has a perfect 100! You nailed all the puzzles and finished faster then Rebecca! Congratulations to you both on a job well done," Yugi said squeezing Yami's shoulder in triumph.

Rebecca for a moment looked like she was going to cry. Knowing what her grandfather expected of her she shook Yami's hand but after a moment yanked it angrily away. She then snatched both books up along with her backpack and ran out of the library crying. This was the first time she had failed to win and it hurt a lot.

"Rebecca!" cried Arthur as she didn't even apologize to the librarian as she ran her over. He went to go get her but Yami intervened. "Let me talk to her ok?" he said as he sprinted off to catch Rebecca.

Yami got outside just in time to see Rebecca who was so distraught she didn't even bother to look ahead. She was heading right into the busy street. A truck was barreling towards her and there was no way it could stop in time. He reacted instinctively by using telekinesis to yank Rebecca away from danger. She fell backward just as the truck zoomed through. She looked at it and realized how close she came to losing her life.

"Rebecca, are you ok?" he asked when he reached her at the bottom of the marble steps. She looked very upset and bewildered but otherwise fine. He held out a hand and helped her up. "Your lucky you tripped and fell backward otherwise you'd now be a street pizza"

"Yami I'm sorry about how I acted back there. I pride myself on my wonderful mind. How skilled and creative it is and I every now and then forget to be humble. You must be smart if you can solve that last puzzle," Rebecca told him quite seriously and humbled by her brush with death.

"It's ok Rebecca to be proud that your good at something, yet humility is equally important. Thank you for what you've given me. It is a gift I won't soon forget."

"What I gave? Gift? What are you talking about Yami?"

"Yes, a gift. I've never been challenged in such a way that I need to think creatively in that manner. It does seem one needs to use their imagination in a lot more ways then I originally assumed. Thanks for allowing me to experience that, Rebecca," he said as he finished drying her eyes.

For a moment she stood there and then leaped into his arms and cried happily. "You and Yugi are indeed angels!" she whispered between her crying. He hugged her and realized from her history what really was upsetting her. It was the fact that she missed her parents and that's why she was so driven to achieve perfection so they'd be very pleased when they got back. He separated from her embrace not realizing a few feathers had stuck to her aqua colored jacket.

"Rebecca Dinah Hawkins! Don't you ever behave like that again! You need to mind your manners young lady," he grandfather scolded her as the others joined them. Yami looked at him with a look that said 'let it go this once'. So Professor Hawkins let it go. "Come here, I was so scared that I lost you when I saw that truck coming. I don't know what I do if I lost you. Your one of the most important peoples in my life my little star."

"I'm so sorry Grandpa. I'll be careful next time you won't have to worry about me at all!" Rebecca told him as she hugged him tightly.

"Do I even want to know what went on between you two?" Yugi asked siding up next to Yami. Yami shook his head and just smiled pleased to see the love between the two family members. Maybe he and Samir could be close like that one day.

"Well, I'm afraid that Yugi and I've to be going. I'm expecting a consignment of new cards tonight and the shop going to be needed in tip-top order for when they arrive. C'mon Yugi we best get going," Solomon said suddenly nudging his grandson.

"Ok, it was nice seeing you all again. Yami, are you coming back with us?" Yugi asked the boy hopefully. Yami opened his mouth but saw Samir and instead whispered to Yugi something. They hugged and the Motos and the Hawkins departed leaving the new Father and Son alone.

For a few awkward moments, neither of them said anything. They just looked at each other. Yami looked over the man before him. His hair was longish and you couldn't tell whether it was black or brown. His eyes were the same shape and color as Yugi's only his pupils were as gold as the sun. He was dressed in a respectful lavender shirt and light periwinkle chinos. He seemed like a good soul yet Yami still didn't really know what to say to him. What did one say to a newly found stepfather?

Samir was just as unable to speak as Yami. He was just as blown away by the resemble he had to Yugi Moto, his daughter Aziza, best friend. He seemed to be very much from what he could tell his mother son. Yet it seemed concealed in those beautiful amethyst eyes a great and painful burden. In his line of work, he'd helped many different kinds of people yet this young man would indeed present him the greatest challenge.

"Hello Prince Yami of Xanadu," Samir told him solemnly bowing slightly.

"Hello Samir Keeper of Earth," Yami replied in the same tone. He made a motion with his hands signaling him to rise. "You need not bow to me here. I have no rank or privileges in this city. Here I'm just a normal teenage boy."

For a second time, an awkward silence enveloped both of them. This was just too weird. "How about we go for a walk around Bakers Lake Park? We could walk and talk and maybe get to know each other," Samir suggestion at last.

"Well, I guess that better then standing here acting like mimes. How far is this park from this location?" inquired the young prince to his stepfather.

"Not very far really. I go there all the time with your mother and sister. The Lake is really a nice spot to go for an outdoor reaction. Such as fishing, running, walking, biking. That sort of thing. It's quite beautiful as well. We have family picnics there during the summer."

So they got into Samir car and drove till they reached a road called Airport Road and turned left into a very tiny parking lot. They got out of Pontiac and Yami was indeed pleased by the spectacle before him. It was a huge sparkling turquoise man-made lake with two huge fountains at both ends with neon lights around them. The flora was very breath stealing as well. All around the lake he could see and hear a variety of fauna. It seemed to be very nice indeed.

"This is very beautiful much more real then what that bastard back home creates on a whim," he voiced as he watched a few little kids fishing with their father on the dock. It made him sad to think he missed out on so much during his childhood because of his father's cruelty.

"Yeah, it's very nice here. One of the few places in this city you can just relax and think. There's even a soccer field and playground on the other side for the young kids. So shall we begin a two-mile walk?"

"I think you should take that call first. It's Mom," he replied off hand and sure enough, Samir's cell rang and it was his wife. "I'll be a little while, Yami. Why don't you go wait under the gazebo for me?"

"Ok, Samir, I'll do as you command," he said as he went to a nearby gazebo to wait for him. As he listened to the killer wicked tunes of Hannah Montana on his I-pod he began to have doubts of this again. His mind became flooded with all the worries he'd been burden with from Xanadu and Earth. He was also trying to understand the Prophecy, which like his mother, had become his nightly prayer. He was also trying to figure out his feelings for Yugi which was not easy. Being an immortal teenager was hard!

"I can't do this, I can't do this! I can't deal with this! I can't! This is just too hard! I'll just go tell Samir this was a bad idea," Yami said as he got up and flipped over the railing right on top of someone.

'OW! Hey watch it, pal!" snapped a voice angrier then his father's.

"Gomenasai! I didn't mean to use you as a cushion nor walk on you like a doormat! Please forgive me," he told the young woman then was in for a shock. He knew this woman!

"I know you! I saw you at the rave a few weeks back. You and Joey were seriously making out! I couldn't believe one could kiss that long and still be able to breathe!"

"The name is Mai Valentine and it's nice to see you sober. It wasn't a pretty sight when I had to drive you home drunk as a skunk. Thank God you didn't start to vomit till after you left my car. I've to kill you if you threw up on my car. No joke," the blond vixen said as she flipped her long golden hair into a zephyr.

"Yeah, that was embarrassing. Uh, here you dropped these," handing her some thick books. He caught out of the corner of his eye the title of one them. The titles confused him.

"Real Ghost Stories" further examination revealed all the books Mai had with her dealt with the supernatural. She even had a book about demons and phobias. "Why do you have all these books about things that many fear?" he inquired her curiously. This beautiful woman didn't seem to be one easily intimated. Yet Kaibutt didn't seem charitable yet he was. So you couldn't judge a book by its cover.

"Sit down Yami and listen up. I'm going to tell you this once and it's an important lesson for all to know," Mai instructed him. So he sat down at the table and she sat seductively on the gazebo railing. She brushed her hair out of her face before speaking.

"I've had a secret passion for the supernatural since I was 11. A good horror movie is what I enjoyed when I was sick or depressed. As you said many people fear ghost or don't even believe in them. Well, I've seen every episode of both "Weird Travels & A Haunting" There is so much we don't know so we can't really say that maybe something after death. Spirits can be very fighting and fear in any form no matter what is giving you fears is a double edge sword, Yami."

"How so?"

"Far too many times we seek to destroy what is giving us fear rather then understand it. It isn't a bad thing to feel fear for it but you should at least make an effort to understand why it scares you. Also just because you're afraid doesn't mean you should let it control you either. No matter what your demons or fears are Yami, whether they are of supernatural or natural you need to face them and deal with them. Understand them and even conquer them. But don't let the fear control you. Joey helped me learn that and I, in turn, helped Yugi deal with his demons. Speaking of Joey I've got to go. We've got a date at the Igloo at noon. Catch you later!" she said as she hopped off and he handed her the last book. Unknown to him she would soon discover feathers stuck between its pages.

In a little while, he and Samir began their long walk around the lake. Samir informed him his mother was with his sister and they were aiding the Court members best they could with their own problems. They promised they be back at home when they got back along with Yugi who been invited for dinner that night.

At first, neither of them could think of what to say but all too soon they began to really chew the fat with one another. Laughing and talking about everything. Their life stories seemed to stretch longer then the curving path. They forgot they were walking as each spoke of both the pain and pleasure of their lives and worries. They actually walked the path 3 times before they realized they need to get home before dark.

It was beginning to get really stormy when they got home to the Art Gallery. The second Yami was out of the car it began to rain. He was in awe by all of it. It never rained back home ever. While Samir along with all the others were hurrying to get in Yami did the exact opposite.

"YAMI?!" cried Yugi in surprise as Yami began to dance barefoot in the pouring rain. Just laughing and smiling as he squeezed his toes in the fresh mud. He threw back his head and tried to catch the drops in his mouth. He was acting like such a child. Yugi went to get him but they both ended up slipping on the gooey mud and onto of each other. Soon each was throwing mud and everyone was involved in this bizarre yet fun behavior. They only went inside when lighting grace the skies.

"That was a lot of fun! I never did something like that before!" giggled Yami as his mom handed him a towel. She shook her head and smiled at seeing her child so happy.

"Yes, that was a lot of fun, my son. The first rain of spring is very magical in its own right," she mused then heard a sound she thought she never hears from her son. He was sneezing and he looked ill. In fact, all the kids looked sick.

Not willing to believe it possible she felt her son's forehead. It was warm. Quickly she snatched up the ear thermometer and waited a minute. "Mom? Achoo! What is Achoo! You do?" he asked between sneezing. He was puzzled by what was happening to his body.

"Yami believes it or not you have a temperature. You're 101.0." she was smiling as Samir checked both Aziza and Yugi temperature and it was the same. She hadn't thought it was possible, that he still was too much a Divine Being. However, the proof of his transformation to human was happening right in front of her.

"What does that mean Mom?" he asked confused. He'd never been sick before and it wasn't a good feeling.

"You have a cold my son. You're sick with a mild virus so all of you need a quick bath and bed rest. This is most likely a 48-hour bug. I'll call your grandpa, Yugi. Samir please prepare the sick bay for casualties," she remarked lightly as she went to get the kids some rainbow sherbet to eat.

While anyone would normally be bummed at catching a cold Yami was extremely happy! This was the first time in his LIFE he'd been sick! Despite the fact he felt like crude he planned to enjoy this!

Sick Bay was the living room and each of them was giving a big bowl of sherbet and they all watched MASH episodes that had them laughing so hard they forgot how bad they felt.

Around ten when they were told to take their medicine and sleep, Yami called Samir over. "I would like to thank you. I owe you one the greatest debt ever. You saved my mother lived and for that, I'm eternality grateful."

"It was nothing Yami. She saved me and she been very good to my little Basest. I'm thankful to know she has a son like you. You're a wonderful young man and you give so many people hope," as he removed the empty ice cream bowl from Yami's hands.

"I thought when you're sick you're supposed to have chicken soup,"

"The only chicken soup in this house is on the book shelve. The 4077 doctors cure us with laughter and sherbet is what we like. Soup is nasty as coffee. Rest up you'll need all the energy you can to get better soon, Yami. Good night," he said as he went to turn the light off for him.

"Good night, Dad," Yami whispered quietly as he rolled over and went to sleep.

With a rare smile, Samir whispered back "Good night, my son."

Meanwhile, the Vixens were happy themselves. The entire day they had scoured the city looking for a symbol to represent Atem's mind and they had found what they were looking for in Rebecca Hawkin's backpack. When that truck had nearly run her down she hadn't noticed the puzzle books go flying down the street. They simply checked to see which book contained the Prince's handwriting and discarded the other one.

"On the appointed hour we present this symbol of Mind into our Darklight Ritual. May this offering be accepted and used to its fullest extent!" Shakti chanted as she placed the puzzle book in the proper orb. The orb flashed from white to blood red as the offering was accepted. "Excellent my sisters the puzzle has become two-thirds filled. We only need one more to complete the Ritual!"

"Yeah, but the last symbol is the hardest to get. We need to get something to represent Prince Atem's Spirit! In order to do that we need to capture his breath," Oba commented.

"And since we can't wring his scrawny little neck and force his breath into a container were going to have to be smart about this. Nothing too obvious will work," Pomona pointed out. The three Vixens looked at one another determined to come up with a way to steal the breath of the Prince.

Back at the Holiday Inn, Isis, Mahad, and Seto were communicating privately with the other Guardians while Mana slept. It had been an exhausting day for the girl and they weren't willing to place her in danger for this private, but desperate message.

"You're certain that you've found enough lodging and occupations for everyone in Xanadu?" Karim asked nervously. He had been waiting for days anxious to hear news about what his friends were up to on Earth.

"Yes, Queen Samira assures us that she can help all of the citizens find good homes and jobs. She had friends through the city and the world. We can all resettle here with the true King of Xanadu," Isis told him excitedly.

"This is wonderful news. Many of the citizens are ready to leave this awful paradise and return with the Divine Beasts to the planet below. I have talked with them as well as the Divine Beast. Every last one of us is willing to forfeit our immortality and divinity if it leads to a chance at freedom and happiness," Shada told them.

"The trouble will be getting everyone out of the city. As long as King Aknamkanon and his brother Aknadin are in control of the Eye and Heart we're prisoners in this hell hole. The only way we can truly escape is if Prince Atem takes the throne and controls the Heart's power," the wise Shadi reminded the group as he spoke of the Prince fated destiny to obtain his birthright.

"The Prince grows stronger every day. He has learned much from his time here on Earth. I am confident once he has completed the Ascending he will return to Xanadu and take back what is his," Mahad informed them. "After all the Prince has gained the protection of the humans God by being baptized. If he can find a way for me and my love to finally be joined do you doubt his power?"

"True my cousin is a courageous and smart person, but he still has much to learn. If he does lead the rebellion he needs to be able to thwart both my father and his own, not to mention Camille and her vicious Vixens. I have a bad feeling that they're plotting something that is of the evilest in nature. May the Heart of Xanadu and its Oracle protect us all," Seto prayed.

"We must be going before we are discovered talking to you. I have only one question to ask of you before we end these talks. How is Queen Samira doing overall, what I mean to say is she happy on Earth with her new husband?" Shimon asked hesitantly.

"You needn't worry my old friend. The Queen is happier then she has ever been. She is a world-renowned painter with a loving husband and daughter. She has many friends and is gifted in many talents such as ice skating and taking care of sick children. She has asked about you and I told her you were doing fine. The two of you will be rejoined as mentor and student soon enough. Good night and be ready. Xanadu will fall once Prince Atem rises to power!" Mahad vowed to break off the connection. He meant every word he said.


	15. A Little Disney Magic

"A Little Disney Magic"

"Hello, I hope you love this story as much as I'm. Please, I ask for a second time if you could possibly try and leave a little more detail review. Nothing to fancy but I'd like to really know what you think of the more out of unusual ideas I've done your theories and if you've any ideas as to what the next surprise will be. I'd like not to be burned on the stake for combining Disney with Yugioh so doesn't do it if you think I should be ok pleased?"

"Enjoy this chapter as we starting closing in on the end of this tale oh and just so you know Yugi's 17th birthday is coming up fast! He's was born according to Absolute Anime on June 4th, he's 5'0 92lbs and type AB blood. Atem, as I said is 5'4 92lbs and his blood type is O. I'll also say this with Anime Characters I think it's almost nearly impossible to tell they are correct age because they look and act so different then you expect so yeah I think it's almost impossible to tell! So don't go yelling at people if they think a certain character different ages then you think! I've got enough of a headache with people on Youtube argue Rini from Sailor Moon age to last me to the year 2105!"

The Lisa Frank clock with the multicolor jaguar cub Hunter, which she'd purchased at a yard sale a few years ago, read 6:00 am and the date on the Princess Bride Calendar beneath, and was marked as March 5th. 15 days left till Yami's 18th birthday on the 3rd Sunday of this month. Samira smiled warmly at the photo of the hero Wesley wrestling with the giant Fezzik and Fezzik holding a rock with the movie quote saying "I DON"T HAVE TO MISS!" The Princess Bride was the first movie she had a watch when she came to this planet and she enjoyed it very much. She then turned back to the island to finish her duties.

She was busy making some breakfast for the patients while wearing her turquoise bathrobe. Pausing for a moment to put some nourishing Imes in Tess's dish, she stroked the pretty kitty back as she nibbled contentedly at her food.

"I don't care what some say, Tess. I think cats are nice but I do wish you wouldn't cry so much. Maybe Yami can tell me what's on your mind sometimes huh?" she told her daughter 6 –year-old speckle russet kitty.

A faint knocking came from downstairs. Wondering who it was she pressed the security pad. The tiny VDT showed Mahad standing on the beautiful welcome mat she'd croustade a few years ago.

"Mahad?" she inquired suspiciously. Pressing the intercom, she addressed him, "Hello Mahad."

"Hello, my Queen. I need to speak with you, it of the uttermost essence we speak ado,"

"What is the password?" she asked pressing a small button in the shape of her son's Puzzle at the same time. She needed to make sure he hadn't been followed by those Vixens or being impersonated by them.

If he said the right one but his bio-metrics were even the slightest off she know he was a fake and she knew how to lock down and protect her family. She hadn't just been doing finger-painting for 14 years on Earth! She was preparing for this inevitable conflict her son was going to have to face.

"The password is Solmina, my queen," as both human and magical sorcery scanned him to be absolutely sure he was Mahad. He passed and she allowed him inside and seeing how he didn't scream bloody murder from her son's protective spell it was a safe bet to say it was Mahad that stood before her.

"Hello, my Queen sorry for dropping in unannounced. But I felt I should talk to you face to face. I don't believe gossiping like a caffeinated cheerleader on the phone would do this time," Mahad explained patiently.

"You certainly picked up quickly the manner of speech of this world. I'm deeply impressed. Please sit, I'll get you something. But do be quiet the children need their rest. It doesn't matter whether it's a cold or cancer rest is important when you're sick," as she finished fixing breakfast up.

"Sick? What do you mean?" he inquired as she placed some cinnamon bread and orange juice in front of him. He took the bread and took a big chunk out of it before he gulped down the juice.

"Remember the rain from last night? Well since this was my son first encounter with the phenomenon of rain he decided to do like the songs, 'Unwritten', and 'Nothing Wrong with Me' suggested."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean he released his inhabitations as well as felt the raindrops on his skin at the same time as he danced barefoot in the pouring rain. It was actually adorable, I wish I'd snapped a picture," she told him with a smile. "Anyway he along with Aziza and Yugi both caught a small cold. They'll be in bed for a few days. I won't worry about school seeing how they never have homework in any case."

"So the Prince is sick?! This is just as surprising as my daughter having her time of the month. Do you know by chance how long it last, by chance?" he asked hopefully. He was clearly suffering from what this weird and wonderful phenomenon was making his daughter does.

"Mahad, you're just going to have to deal with it like every other man on the Earth. I can't really explain how a period feels anymore then you can tell me how your body works. You just have to put up with the insanity that comes with it for its different for each girl and then you've to deal with menopause, which I'm not looking forward to. Despite what many people think, that men are superior to girls I got news for them. We girls have a hell of a lot more to deal with and it puts you to shame!" she informed in a rather shocking tone.

She then blushed and covered her mouth in embarrassment as the Magician looked at her in a weird way. "Gomenasai I've spent too much time around Aziza. When she has something to say she says it without a single bit of sugarcoating. She is extremely straightforward about how she feels and has strong beliefs. Not that a bad thing she just still needs to work on how she shows it. To know when and where it's ok to be blunt, and when tact is called for."

"I speak for all of Xanadu when I say that we're extraordinarily impressed by the Prince's sister. We deeply admirer her in addition to that she is just as inspirational as the Prince is. Furthermore, even Yugi seems to have brought back the hope that was stolen from our world when you vanished. In fact, that's what I wanted to speak to you about," Mahad confided in her.

"Before you say another word, Mahad, please do me an act of kindness? Please carry the trays to the rooms so have that their breakfast is waiting for them when they wake. Cold medicine knocks you out very quickly and you could snooze for a millennium or two sometimes. So you can imagine how hungry they're going to be waking up from such a deep hibernation," Samira said simply. She was nervous about the topic Mahad had just brought up.

After they delivered the meals to the still slumbering children they went to her studio and she locked the door this room that was soundproof as well. It was made that way so the music she chose to listen to as she worked wouldn't bother anyone else. "OK now, please explain how all of Xanadu knows of my daughter and my son's lover? I thought you said we wouldn't be compromised!"

"We haven't been comprised, Samira. I assure you Isisa made it impossible for that tyrant to find out anything. Even with his despicable cohorts powers, they won't find out about this. We talked with the Court members and each has found ways to talk to those loyal to you and the Prince. We're all set to come to Earth. The thing is we need yours and the Prince's help to accomplish this objective," Mahad began slowly.

"Mahad tell me what does Xanadu know of my family or this city? What is the full knowledge that they have? I won't help until you tell me everything."

"We've been forced to give reports twice a day to that monster, on Atem's state of affairs. That mischievous sprite didn't know we also sent reports to our friends back home. The Divine Beasts that make up our Soul Friends have guarded and protected that information and have safely been able to pass it to others. So all of our allies know of the humans' friends of the Prince. All of them rather face the cold hand of death by Aknamkanon then betray the one soul who can set them free," Mahad told her passionately. He wanted more then anything to serve a good and pure King and not some tyrant who claimed to be one.

"You've then become aware of as I've all the lives that my son has encountered have helped him prepare for his destiny? I wish it didn't have to be like this, that the Prophecy could be fulfilled without more bloodshed. Yet it seems immutable to change the fact that they only way to achieve peace and freedom in any world is paid in the blood of innocents," sighing heavily at the same time as both she and Mahad gazed at the countless paintings around them.

She had been painting not only her world history but attempting to paint its future as well. It was one of the few divine talents that she still possessed. All around them were painting of both great beauties along with wonder in addition to several others of great pain and horror as well. Her latest one didn't seem to lean towards anything less then a great battle of epic portions but it was unfinished.

One would say she lost her muse, however, that wasn't the case. She was unable to finish the painting for the reason that this was a crossroad of an undetermined fate. Even the universe didn't know how it was going to end so they couldn't show her how to paint it.

"I wish there was another way myself. Does he even understand what the Prophecy means?" Mahad questioned her.

"I don't know. I can't tell him what I suspect it means either. He has to figure it out for himself. We have 15 days remaining until he fully Ascended. The only way he'll stand a chance against his sire is if he Ascended," she said as she toyed with a gold pendant around her neck that looked like a gold version of the Heart of Xanadu with wings.

"I know you're petrified as well as concerned so, is everyone else, my Queen. But it won't have come down to this even if we had to figure out why our own universe fell in the first place and if we learned from the mistakes of the past. Unfortunate for us we've got a fucking jackass for a spurious king of an even phonier paradise, that a living hell!"

"Language Mahad! I want my son to be happy, Mahad. I also desire to see our people find the real Xanadu as I have. You found it as well. I know in my own heart the reason why our universe fell. I think you and everyone else knows it too. But as long as that heartless abomination has his iron talons around the Heart all we'll have are dreams of freedom," she replied in both resentment as well as sorrowfulness as her teacup explode from how hard she was holding it.

"My Queen, I believe I'd ask if you sought out counseling or on some type of meds," as he gazed at the remnants of the aquamarine cup at the same time as his used his Ring to fix it. He wondered to himself if he could ever truly leave behind his magic and be happy. Still, he needed to focus on the Queen right now.

He didn't require a degree in physiological to know that his longtime friend was without a doubt suffering more then she let on. Her beautiful teal eyes looked the same as he did when Mana had been forced into a coma by heartless actions of Aknamkanon. He still felt that burning odium for him for doing that to his child. He could only imagine what Samira had suffered along with Atem. Or Yami has he was now called and it did seem to be more him.

"No, I don't take any medicine at all. However, all of my family goes to North Central for therapy. I've just been so emotional ever since the night Yami waltzed back in my life. I don't ever want to lose him for a second time especially not to that winged devil!"

"I know everyone on edge; it's so bad you break a knife if you attempted to cut it. We need something to unwind a bit. Too much tension won't help what's coming," Mahad informed her as playing with his chocolate locks.

"You're in luck then. Here look at this," handing him a dazzlingly colored flyer. He took it gingerly and read the big glittering letters, "Come one and Come to all citizens of Domino City to the greatest party ever! That right the Taste will be in your city for this wonderful long weekend. Games, Food, Rides, Prizes and best of all this year all the Stars of the coolest Disney Shows, Movies and Mania will be helping you rock out the night to some of the coolest tunes ever! Be there for some magical moments!"

"What's this "Taste?" he asked confused as he reexamined the flyer. It showed people eating a lot of junk food with fireworks and wicked cool amusement park rides. It seemed to be some sort of celebration for families.

"It's a traveling carnival, like a mini Six Flags. It will be a lot of fun, trust me on that. It would appear that they finally picked some good music entertainment as well. Who doesn't love Disney? It's something you never quite give up," Samira said offhand.

"This does seem just the ticket we need to blow off some anxiety and kick up our heels and let our hair down. But we must keep an eye out for the Vixens," he warned her.

"Mahad the only reason my ex desires Yami back isn't because of he his son. No that son of a bitch, doesn't know what 'father, son, or love' is nor does he know there meaning. No, he wants to make certain that Yami won't be able to take from him what he does crave, power. All Yami was meant to be for him was a tool nothing more nothing less." Samira educated the great mage of magic as she refilled the cups with jasmine tea. Taking one long sip she went on.

"For him, Yami was to keep his precious sovereignty in check at the same time as he set out to conquer this unsuspecting universe as Hitler with wings! Then he'd planned to manipulate Yami's child till the child was also just his puppet slave," she informed him as she went to the self-portrait of her son. She little by little removed the large painting and it showed a blank wall.

Wondering what was going on Mahad looked inquisitively and was amazed as she bit by bit peeled a very thin piece of the wall away. It was just a piece of Velcro wallpaper. But it blended so well you never guess it was there. Now he saw a wall safe the size of a TV. The lock on it was in the shape of the Puzzle. It seemed to be like any other combination lock with the exception of the numbers was in their language, not humans.

Respectively turning away so not too see what her combination was. He caught out of the corner of his stunning chestnut eyes something gold within the vault. He waited for a few minutes and she put it all back to normal. "Ok you may look," he turned and she handed over him an extremely bulky packet.

"Those are all the official authorized documents you and the rest of our people require. We've all been offered short-term asylum until we can work out the lingering details. It's all been taken care of by my husband. He has scores of good friends and knows quite a lot of people. I've made several copies so don't be concerned. We've worked everything out to the last detail. I won't let you or any of our people down. Neither will my son. I promise you in the name of Heart of Xanadu that our dreams will become a reality. I guarantee it."

"Thank you, Queen Samira, I must be going we'll be in touch," as he left and used a little emergency magic to conceal where the enveloped was hidden. You think its hard finding the Dark Magician under a Magical Hat? This trick made that trick look like a party entertainer parlor tricks at a 4-year-old birthday party. He smiled to himself feeling that soon this cursed life would be over and he could start leading his dream life.

The trio of friends was out of commission till Wednesday. Samira had been correct when she said missing school wasn't really a big deal. When she wasn't tending to them she was trying to paint the rest of that painting with Samir taking care of them. However she couldn't paint the rest of the painting, any more then Isaac from "Heroes" was able to paint what Noah Bennett had wanted, when he was busy trying to save his daughter, Claire, from Sylar cutting her head open and eating her brain, so he could have her power.

She was so tired from trying to finish it she fell dead to the world with her face on paint pallet. She was dreaming of her own innocent childhood. A faint giggle escaped her as her conscious mind evaporated into thin air and her subconscious mind took her even further on the journey to her past.

It was so beautiful; a rolling emerald green field accented with the loveliest blossoms you ever have seen. There was even a lake with the most stunning shade of turquoise with teal hues ever seen nearby. She was swinging on a swing made up of cherry blossoms attached to a Hope Tree.

The Hope Tree was high as the lavender clouds in the azure heavens with its golden bark just as soft as that sky. Its countless branches seemed to go on without end. Each of the tree leaves was shaped like a heart but each leaf had its own unique color and imprint to represent all the lives within Xanadu. Also the happier the tree sang along with the Heart the more they people knew they continue to prosper and live contently.

This was the same tree that only surviving seed would one day be planted in the gardens of King Aknamkanon. But that was very far off for now. Xanadu still had a while to go before it started to become unraveled. But it wasn't that far off as it was beginning to come undone.

The current ruler of Xanadu was King Mordecai and his dark Queen Acacia. Queen Acacia may've been lovely with long copper curls and jade eyes yet she was very much a shrewd individual. Her husband was just a cruel and heartless so it was no surprise the rotten apple didn't fall far from the tree when it came to their sons.

Samira who was only about 9 years old didn't yet fear the bleak future that would come all too soon. All she knew at that moment was she was contented with her life and happy with what she had. She likes simple things and loved her parents and best friend. She had all she wanted and she had gotten without using magic and that was magic itself.

She was swinging higher then ever when she faintly heard a voice call her name. It sounded like her own voice but it was her mom's. She leaped off the swing and flew down to her parents but at last, minute closed her wings so she rolled down the hill and ran on top of her father.

"That was graceful, my little angel of dreams," he told her as got the grass out of her long ebony hair. "Daddy! Stop! That's tickles!" she giggled yet for some reason she couldn't see her father face. It was like a shadow had replaced it or it was just the clouds blocking the light for a few moments. It didn't scare her, but it did puzzle her.

"Come let's eat," spoke her mother which her face only remained visible for a while. It was enough. Samira was the spitting image of her mother except for the hair that came from her father.

Her mom had hair so black the Ravens would be jealous of its color. She wore it in two side yarn buns one on each side of her head with long wavy pigtails. She was dressed even more beautiful the Cleopatra with elegant dreamy pink wings. To the eyes of the young Samira, she was like a goddess awakening from a deep slumber.

They spent the whole day just having a picnic and playing games. The girls made headdress out of the flowers and they even wove some flowers into her father spiky hair. It was just a perfect day to get away from it all. From watching butterflies emerge to golden swans glide across the lake.

While she was out on the lake with her father watching the most unique sunset ever and the stars of their world come out to play their nightly games. Her mother Solmina who was afraid of water and got seasick was watching the sunset under the tree.

Samira was very happy half asleep in her daddy lap. But she remembers before falling asleep a dark slender figure watching her mother. The next day her mother seemed a bit shaken up about something. Confused she decided to question her father about her mother's strange actions.

"Daddy is Mama ok?" The young nine years old couldn't grasp yet what was happening and what it would mean to her one day.

"I don't know Angel of Dreams. I think she had a visit from a servant of the King and it wasn't a pleasant one. Don't worry, I promise nothing will harm you or your mother ok?" her father promised to kiss her on her forehead. He was scared for his wife but didn't want his child to know that.

"Ok Daddy," as the young Samira went to sleep. She started dreaming of more picnics with her parents and endless days of love and happiness that would follow.

A scream worse then anything you can image awoke Samira, but now she was a young woman. She knew that scream, it had been her father. She raced through their humble manor house and found him with her mother in their bedroom. He was fine if someone suffering from a broken heart could be fine, but her mother was something she couldn't describe. The same shadow figure from so long ago left the room as she enters fully.

"Mama? Mama! Mom!" It was too late for her mother would never answer her again. A dark storm cloud surrounded the house signaling the end of Samira's happiness and marking the days of hardship and pain she would soon feel.

"Mom? Mom? Mom, wake up!" spoke a voice urgently pulling her back to reality.

"Uh? Oh, Yami? How long was I out?" she asked as she picked her self up. The paints now stained her face and she had the paint pallet imprint on her right cheek.

"You've been asleep for two hours. Here let me clean you up," he said as he ripped some Kleenex and began to clean his mom's face. He was concerned because he had heard her mutter something while sleeping, but couldn't make out what she was saying. "Are you okay Mom?

"I'm fine and thanks, Yami. That was very kind of you. You feeling ok?" she asked as he scrubbed hard to get some celestial blue off her nose.

"Yeah, great in fact. I've just had my first illness and now I've recovered from it! How cool is that?" he proclaimed cheerfully at the same time as the light caused his earrings to make small rainbows on the wall.

'Well, I'm glad you're happy. Yami, you know that things have slightly changed since you came to Earth, don't you? Are you aware of what Mahad wanted to discuss with me while you were resting?" Samira asked knowing her son had probably had been eavesdropping on them.

"Yes, Mom I do," he said becoming serious. Looking at her straight in the eye he told her in a bittersweet tone, "Mom I know very well that you, Dad, and Aziza having been working very hard to get a place for our people here in Domino City. I also know from the Prophecy that I play some key role in saving our people but I still don't know how to do that. I don't even know if I can tell Yugi the truth. I'm scared he'll reject me."

"My Little Angel you have 12 days left. I'm sure you'll figure it out by then. I don't want another war and I don't want you to have to live with the memories I'm condemned to have for all time either. I don't know what's going to happen in the next 12 days but whatever happens don't you forget what you've learned or what's in here," she told as she pointed to his heart.

"I want Mom. I've got to get back to the Game Shop. I'm long overdoing for doing my chores. Grandpa won't give me my allowance if I don't work. I'm going to need some money for the Taste this weekend," he told her with a chuckling as he was about to leave, but turned to look at her.

"Mom? Did you remember something bad?"

"Why do you ask that, Yami?" she asked uncomfortable as she played with the hem of her skirt.

"You looked and sound how I did my first night here on Earth. Yugi said I screamed so loud I could wake the dead. Mom, are you ok?" his beautiful eyes full of concern for his mother.

"I'll be fine in a little while. Just be safe Yami. Oh, and could you go with Aziza to do some errands on Saturday morning before we all go to the Taste?" she asked him hopefully.

He answered her with a huge hug. Then he left to go back home with Yugi who was waiting outside. They seem to be really happy as they walk back home, it appeared for a moment they'd hold hands but didn't.

Clutching her necklace she wordless recite the Prophecy and then prayed to God to help fulfill her wish as her son disappeared from view. Why did her child have to be the one of Prophecy when all he wanted was to be a normal child? Not to mention did his friend know what was expected of him as well? How would he deal with the news that he was the key to saving an entire civilization from a lifetime of evil?

The Vixens sisters at that moment were engaged in conversation with the King, their Mistress, and the Cyclops. They weren't happy they hadn't yet gotten the Prince's Breath. Time was running out! Either they get his breath by Saturday midnight or the dark spell would be rendered useless. Failure was not an option period!

"I don't think I need to remind you, ladies, that time is of the essence! In twelve days Atem will turn 18 and be at his zenith of power. If we can't in the remaining 288 hours remaining before Sunday, March 18th 10:30 A.M. get my fucking little progeny back under control all will be lost! I won't be usurped by my own flesh and blood!" growled the King as he tightened his hold on his Staff.

"Yes tell us you've figured out how to get one stupid little kid's breath!" snapped Camille as her long ebony pigtails curled into horns. She may've the look of Musa the Fairy of Music but the only song she was singing was the funeral march.

"We're doing all we can, Mistress. But it's hard to obtain one's breath. They must have touched something with their lips or blown into something and it only good for 6 hours before it's impossible to recover magically," Shakti informed her mistress patently for the umpteenth time in the last hour. She was getting a headache from explaining this over and over again.

"Yeah, and the Prince hasn't left the treasonous bitch's hovel since late Sunday night. You know that cursed Prince's magic trick makes it impossible for anyone of us to touch anything he has chosen to protection with his seal," Oba informed as she nursed her right hand that had been bruised from another attempted to penetrated the Atem's Seal.

"Regardless of this seal, you should've been able to counterattack in some manner! Do you've any word of the Court? What misdeeds have they been up too? I never liked them any way they were never our kind anyway," Aknadin said as he popped a Star Candy in his mouth.

"That I'm capable of putting in the picture for you first hand, Cyclops. While we don't know what they've been saying, I've evidence of what all of them been up do. Check it better then digital," Pomona said with a sneer on her face as she used a black rose to send them her magical photographs.

It was a large black enveloped with gold X on the front. Slowly they pulled out several 8x10s. She had been tailing the Court for a while and been taking pictures, not with a camera of course. No, if she wanted to preserve a moment forever she put her fingers together like she did have a camera and say "Photo Memory Now!" Then it perfectly perseveres for all time.

By the look on the power, the trio faces not even some virgin dancers would calm the torrent inside them by these photos. It was very clear as crystal by the photos of Mahad and the rest that they were not loyal to them. They showed them applying for work, looking for homes, talking with Samira along with several other treasonous transgressions. Many different photos that without a doubt proved they weren't loyal to their King.

Aknadin made a little fledging blue phoenix and burned a few of the photos with his ignoble son in them. "This isn't a very good development so late in this game," was all he said as he then shoved more candy in his mouth.

"Don't worry about the Court. When we take down Prince Atem they'll go down as well. We'll get his breath I swear it. But we must know do you have the Item we discussed should by some unpredicted reason this fails to break him?" all of them inquired the sinful trio at the same time.

"Yes, we have it all set in addition to standing by now as we speak. Now get back to work. We need to get a few more hidden treasures ready for those who break their vows of loyalty to me!"

They signed off with two major objectives to achieve in a short amount of time. At the same time as the Vixens went to try and figure out how to get Atem's breath, Camille along with Aknadin who loathed each other were forced to pool their powers together for a project.

They couldn't make the harness seeing how when Mana was making them she had accidentally destroyed the spell for them. So they made something similar. A restraining circlet. It was a small crystallized shadow headband. A crown of sorts. Forged from darkest shadow magic it wouldn't just keep a Divine Being or Beast form their magic but it would at the same time slowly infect them with a subliminal shadow brainwashing virus. Making them little more then brain-dead slaves after it was on long enough! It was the two partners crowning achievement in a long line of evil deeds.

While the darkest storm of the millennium rapidity approached, Yami was trying to sort out everything that had to happen to him since he came here. Even the real reason he came here. He knew it was something more then just being told of Serafina. He looked in the mirror and marveled at how his reflection had changed. He saw someone different looking back at him inside. Someone who was no longer scared to speak his mind and worried about being beaten up. This person was happy, confident, and loved every single minute of life. This person was in love and wanted to scream it to the heavens.

He had been listening to as much Disney music as he could get his hands on to get ready for Saturday night. So yeah "Reflection" was one he had become much acquainted with along with many more.

Why did he come here? What made the numbest being in the universe suddenly come alive and realize that it was wrong to force someone to marry in this manner or 'live' that half-life lie he'd been subject to? What made him snap and bring him back to life? He pondered this for a while before getting off his bed and heading downstairs. He sat down at the table to share a few doughnuts with Yugi and reminded him of what he'd to do that morning.

"I'll be back in a few hours Yugi, ok? Then we can get ready for tonight, ok Little One?" he told him while blushing as he got ready to leave. Aziza would be there any minute.

"Ok, Yami. That's just fine; I'm going to call the rest of the gang to make sure we'll arrive at the Taste tonight at the same time ok? It seems it been forever since we've seen everyone other then school," Yugi replied as he bit into his vanilla long john with great satisfied.

"Yeah well everyone has been very preoccupied themselves. Tea along with Joey and Tristan getting ready for the opening night of "Grease" Tea will be a great Sandra Dee and the guys will do great on the stage crew. Serenity is still working afternoons at the hospital with Bakura and his sweetheart at the after-school volunteer jobs. Kaibutt who knows how he spends his free time?' he chuckled a little nervously as he said that part.

"Yeah everyone just has been a bit busy lately. So it is great just to have some fun and downtime we all seriously need to unwind. Maybe I win you a prize!" Yugi told him jokingly.

"Yeah, but not with booze. Never again!"

"I hear that brother. Hello, Yugi, how you doing today?" asked Aziza as she came jogging up to them.

"Hello, Aziza we're fine. Can't wait for the Taste and I think it will be awesome. Even better then last year! I can't wait to go on the new ride The Eclipse or the Growler. Though the Tilt A Whirl nice too," he told her excitingly.

"Yeah, it's more fun then a barrel of monkeys that for sure. Let's just remember this year not let Joey eat until after he has gone at least 8 rides ok. I can't see how he eats but from how he sounds when he eats I don't want to even imagine what my fairy t-shirt looked like after he got off the Grizzly last year. I had to wash it like 6 times to get the smell of those chilly dogs off it!"

"I'm sure Joey was very sorry, Aziza. He did pay for cleaning it," Yugi reminded her gently.

"Yeah, I guess so. So Yami ready to go to your first carnival and concert tonight? I can't wait to hear in person the High School Musical cast singing along with over a dozen others. The only one I hope to god isn't there is Hillary Duff. She can't really act or sing and yet she famous ugh! She so didn't deserve to be in the same movie as the heartthrob Tom Welling," Aziza growled at the same time as she brushed her hair with an emerald hairbrush that she carried with her.

"I'll have to take your word on it. We'll be back in a couple of hours ok, Yugi? So hold down the fort and make sure Grandpa takes his pills accordingly. I know he's experiencing back pain again," Yami told Yugi trustingly. Solomon Moto greatly reminded him of Shimon and he cared for the old man deeply. He cared for this entire city and didn't wish harm to come at all.

With few more brief exchanges, he and his sister sent out to do her errands, which he really had no idea what they were even. "Aziza what are we doing anyway?"

"Oh well let's see. I've got to go to North Central and pay the therapy bill. Then I got to swing by the hospital for a quick blood test to check my bipolar meds to see what needs to be done. Also got go to the post office to pick up some stamps and then get a case of diet soda. I think Mom just thought you need someone to talk to. With all that going on," Aziza informed him as they began to walk in the crisp morning air.

"Talk? Like a therapist? I see Dr. Brainard at school twice a week. Not that I've seen anyone else outside of school though," as he picked up some litter and got it in the trash can.

"Yami, to tell you the truth, in my lifetime I've seen over a dozen therapists, caseworkers and doctors all telling me how to act and what pills to swallow. I got sick of it. I would flush my pills or refuse to take them. You've heard of my less then perfect behavior I'm sure?" she question him carefully.

"Yeah, I've done some reading into mental illness and it a lot to cover. We don't have it back in Xanadu I'm afraid. Shimon would know since he was sentenced to work in the Infinite Archives for some unknown reason," he told his sister truthfully as they continued to walk. He may've had his license he still didn't have anything to drive. Kisara said it be a few more days before his bike was ready.

"Well, to be honest, I rather talk to you or Yugi or any one of our friends then a therapist. My latest one Danielle is sweet women doesn't get me wrong. Yet when I'm with her I feel more like she thinks I'm a nut she got to put up with for an hour so she gets a paycheck. I rather talk to someone who sees me as a person and listens really listens to me. That why I love Yugi and you. You make me feel right and I feel like I don't have to take so many blasted pills that I don't even know what half of them do anyway," she confessed as they finally reached the mental health clinic.

It was a long rectangle black building. They walked inside to a spacious waiting room with a tiny 'kids' play zone. It was light blue with a lot of chairs and very poor choices in magazines and lousy music was playing from the speakers. There was a sliding glass window with two ladies in front of them.

'C' mon let's get this over with," she mutter as she went up to the window and knocked. A young woman with blond curls in a ponytail looked up. "Hi, Aziza! Nice to see you again. Is this your new brother I heard about according to the grapevine?" she asked brightly.

"Nice to see you too, Kory. Yeah, this is Yami, my brother. Look no time to chit chat. Here the check and we got to go. See you around!" she said hastily as she bolted.

"She was nice,"

"She is but we're in a hurry," as her stomach then gave a loud growl. She winced from hunger pain. "Didn't you eat breakfast?" he asked as they took a shortcut to the hospital.

"When I'm going to have a blood test I can't eat or drink anything for 12 hours before the test or it will mess it up. Right now my throat is dry as an African riverbed in the dry season and my stomach is empty as Lana Lang head!"

"I agree with you on both accounts. I've to watch Smallville with Yugi on Thursdays channel nine the CW at seven. She is nothing more then a pretty face. A sex icon meant to keep the males watching. All she been in is one failed relationship after another with no real character development. What Clark sees in her I'll never figure out!"

"Yeah, there a more a few fans who want nothing more then to see a Kryptonite bullet all the way through her empty head. This whole Lex and Lana soap opera makes me sicker then the time I accidentally gave myself food poisoning! Listening to Burns and Hot Lips is better then that vacuous pretty-girl and bald Mongol!" as they got to they arrived at the hospital.

It took twenty minutes to fill out some quick paperwork, wait her turn and go into a tiny room with two gray seats and a bathroom. Yami sat on the bed but was squirming a bit as a nurse took five tubes of blood from his sister right arm. He almost fainted as she disappeared into the bathroom to give them a urine sample.

Now that she'd done that she could eat. They stopped at some vending machine to get something for her. However, they were out of order. Yami placed his right hand on one making it glow. The machine then gave him his sister favorite soda and candies for free.

"Thank you, Wendi. The tune-up on you and your sisters is on the house!" he said as the machine seemed to make a noise that would've been described as delighted. "Here something to tide you over till you get home," he told her as he watches guzzle her drink down with her morning pills.

Wiping her lip first before she spoke to him, "Thanks Yami, you're a great brother. Much better then a few I've heard about anyway," she mutter as she tried opening the Cheetahs bag and he ended up doing it.

"What do you mean by that exactly?"

"I've got a lot of online friends as does half the world. One of them is a girl in the USA. She the same one who wrote that essay in the scrapbooks. Her screen name is Wildcat. Anyway, she told me like all families she has her bout of fighting with her brother and two sisters. But her older brother has been driving her to the brink of her sanity."

"For the most part, she said he swallowed the Bible and does say she closed-minded and that all she does is wrong and he wants God to save her only after condemning her to Hell. He turns everything into an argument and very much doesn't do a damn thing while crash at her and their dad's house now that he out of college. He turns everything into an argument even when she tries to walk away. Ever attempt to be nice backfires. So basically he been very much a jackass and doesn't think he is. She confessed she had some desire to wish him dead. Not that she does it but still there a lesson to be learned from this and I think she knows but he doesn't"

"What that exactly?" he asked as he had a few Cheetahs himself.

"Yami, I'm not going to lie. You are one amazing guy and everyone does fall in love with you as they do Yugi. But that doesn't mean you and I or anyone we know won't get mad as hell and start a fight. We may not always agree with one another and forget to agree to disagree or that everything is life is about a POV." Sighing heavily she took his face in her hands and told him straight up,

"My point is even if I want to slaughter you because you make me so round the bend is that I'm not going to for the reason that I love you and I know we'll make up. Because no matter how bad or stupid things get is this uncertain world which we live upon I know this. That your unconditional love for me, Yugi, and the rest of this beautiful world is the reason why I'll always forgive you. It's pointless to hate each other but it's important to love and respect to people," she said as tears fell from her concealed eyes. She then fell into his arms and hugged him tightly. He was too stunned to even more when she kissed his forehead.

That was a lot to think about. He was still thinking about when they ran into Duke coming out of a florist shop. He had a huge bouquet of long stem red roses.

"Hey Duke, how you?" called out Aziza as they stopped to chat for a few moments.

"I'm fine. I hope you don't plan to chock me for a second time,' he told her as he clutched the bouquet tightly. He looked like a caged animal cornered. It was clear he didn't want to be seen with the flowers. It was then Aziza revealed something that was nearly stupid enough to land her in prison for assault because of the boy.

"You chocked him?" Yami asked stunned. He knew Aziza had a bit of a temper and liked to speak her mind, but this seemed to be on the extreme side. No wonder she went to therapy.

"Well, I can't say I wasn't asking for it. I forced Joey to wear a stupid dog suite, flick dice at him and then made Yugi play a game and if lost he never duel again," Duke informed him as he rubbed his neck. That girl had a very strong grip. No wonder she was the best bowler in town with how much upper body strength she wields! Though she did also give extremely excellent massages as well.

"No one hurts my best friend, Duke. I'm sorry about that again. Though I'm not sorry for ripping those stupid cheerleaders' skirts off their sorry asses for furthering the harassing, my friend."

"So who are the roses for?" inquired Yami setting down the 12 pack on the ground for a moment. He was hoping to break the tension that was in the air and calm everyone down.

"For Mana, I'm hoping to take her to the Taste tonight. I'm also hoping when I meet her parents her daddy doesn't kill me," he answered nervously. "Say you know her father Yami. Am I in any danger of being buried six feet under?"

"The only person who Mahad wishes were in the grave Duke, is my asshole father. Mahad is protective of Mana but he not overprotective unless he must be. He got a great deal more important things to worry about. Just be respectful and I'm sure you won't be decapitated," he joshed with Duke hitting him in the shoulder.

"Actually Duke I'm surprised you've got the guts to take that risky chance at all. From my observation it seems you, men, no offense intended, but you do chock a lot in the game of love. I mean take a look around you. It took Robin and Starfire 5 seasons and going halfway around the world to kiss and I can name couples from over half a dozen other shows, books, movies and real life that seem unable to play this game of risk and chance," Aziza remarked in surprise tone the dashing young youth.

"Love is a game?" asked a confused Yami as he used small magic to fix Duke bouquet that gotten ruined by hitting him. Duke didn't become aware of it as he informed the prince about the game of love and a few rules he knew of.

"Love is the biggest game of risk and chance, Yami. You have got to put your heart on the line knowing it might end up broken. Too many people let the thought of rejection stopped them even before the game started. But if you don't take a chance and risk your heart you'll never really live at all. Sometimes you've to dive in without checking the depth of the water."

"As a wise man once said, dear brother. It's better to love and lost then never to love at all. Even if its one moment knowing love both the pleasure and the pain is better then not knowing it all."

"Thanks that was insightful. I hope it goes well, sees you tonight!" as they parted ways and Duke was left speechless when he found feathers mixed in with the roses as he headed to the hotel and hopeful not his doom.

The Vixens burned their amber gaze at the disgusting site they just witnessed. They wanted to stick a finger down their throat as they watched the Prince and the boy who looked like him prepared for this absurd and ursine excuse for a celebration.

"Our necks are a line, Shakti! We're running out of time! We need the breath tonight or we're through," grumbled Pomona as she bit into a black apple and offered her sisters each one.

"Yeah deadline tonight! Tell us you've got a plan and a good one, after all, you're the oldest!" Oba inquired her as she swallowed a dry martini. None of them wanted to think about what would happen to them if they failed at their task.

"Relax sisters I've got a plan that will be that upstart undoing. This celebration he's attending tonight will be the key," Shakti informed them. Already a plan was forming in her mind and she was ready to execute it. Well, most of it that way.

"How so, dear sister?" they asked.

"Easy look at this flyer."

"Yeah?" they asked a bit clueless as to what their sister was leading up too.

"He gonna get hungry and that leads to being thirsty especially if he lost his voice screaming on these thrill rides and look if we can't get it from a drink will get from these silly balloons if he blows one up. Just keep an eye on him," Shakti told them.

"Wait a minute you want us to go dumpster diving through stinky garbage to find a specific cup the Prince's lips touched? Why should we do that and not you," Oba challenged? Pomona agreed with her sister.

"One, I'm the oldest, two we can't afford failure, and three because I said so! So come on girls let's go chop!"

Soon, every one, one of the gang was having the time of their lives! Each had paid a small ten dollar fee for a neon green wristband. This wristband as long as they wore it gave them ultimate accuse without paying! While the musical entertainment won't be till 9 that didn't stop the wicked tunes of Disney movies from being played loud and clear all over the place on the PA.

Yami never seen such a wonderful place and never imaged screaming could be so fun! The first ride he and Yugi hit was the Tilt a Whirl then it was on the Growler and the Moon Shot. This place was amazing. Midway games, a mini zoo, bungee jumping, and rock climbing, and a huge trampoline. So many killer rides, countless prizes, and great food and drinks!

"That was so cool! I read in the Road Rule Manual that you're not supposed to hit other cars but it was so much fun to do it!" laughed Yami as he slurped up more of his huge wild berry smoothie.

"Yeah but I think Aziza was a bit to encaustics. I think she got a bit of road rage," Yugi comments happily as he clutched tightly huge panther Yami had won him for knocking milk bottles over.

"Did I hear my name mention?" called Aziza as she arrived with a pig in the blanket for each of them and herself. "If you want to know what all our friends are up to at the moment I just got off my cell. Mai beat Joey at the Strong Man challenge; Tristan is trying to win Serenity a swan doll. I heard that Bakura was at the petting zoo calming down a chinchilla. Tea is involved in a serious dance off. Kaibutt is with Kisara and Mokuba with Rebecca following Mokuba,"

"You know where my friends are?" asked Yami when he heard his name beginning called.

"Yami! Yami!" called out a pretty voice. Turning both boys jaws dropped at the sight before them.

Mana was so stunning she would be a goddess. The outfit she was in killed. It was a short bright blue, strapless bareback dress with just a hint of pink. She wore little jewelry so as not to ruin it. She was wow sexy!

Right now she had a Dark Magician Girl doll with her and a very dashing Duke with his arm wrapped around her. He was very happy.

"Hi, Yami! We've spent some time looking for you. Mama and Daddy are enjoying the Tunnel of Love at the moment. I heard the songs their playing in there tonight is the following, "Love will find a way, LK2, Can you feel the love tonight? TLK, I'm going to love you, HOND2 Beauty and the Beast."

"Those are some good songs. Very suited for that place. You don't seem nearly as tense as the last time we met, Mana," Yugi told her as they walked over to a ride that had the floor drop out and you stuck to the wall.

"I'm embracing tonight the philosophy of Hakuna Matata! This is one night for fun and no worries are allowed!" she told them happily as the line moved a little.

"Glad to see you're happy. Me I won't mind if someone would sing "I can't wait to be king!" that be great especially if we a real prince to sing it! That be more awesome," Duke told his date. He loved The Lion King it was one of his favorites. He tried in his childhood to beat the Sega Game of it but never could defeat Scar at the last level.

Before they could set foot on the ride Yami had to throw away his drink since no foods were permitted on them. That was ok as it empty and he pitched it a trash can. Finally, it was the time that all of the people of Domino City had waited all week for! The whole gang was up front with Yugi and Yami in front row center for his first concert.

It was a crystal clear night with only the light of the beautiful stars and moon mixing with the hot lots of the stage. Everyone was so quiet and then broke into thundering applauds as Raven from the show "That so Raven" busted through a white wall and began to sing "Be True to your Heart, from Mulan," while sexy backup dancer performed with hunky men doing flips throughout the audience.

"Hello, Domino City! You ready to have the time of your life tonight? Let's do some magic the way only Disney can bring to life! To help get you in the mood and find the right way to this place let's welcome Jesse McCartney singing "The Second Star to the Right! C'mon out!"

While the girls sure were screaming their heads off, even more, when he went into his "Beautiful Soul," that got Kisara and Kaibutt kissing big time! The next up were the glamour's The Beau Sisters singing the great song "Anytime you need a friend," and they wore the coolest outfits. The Zeta Bytes then did all their songs from their cool movie followed Skye Sweetum singing her punk version of "Part of your world."

There was a short intermission and everyone was so pumped up. Everyone was really enjoying things even a Duel won't compare to what was up next in the lineup. During the intermission they had Jackie Chan performed marital stunts while singing "I'll make a man out of you!" along with Christine Aguilera doing Reflection afterward! The more the concert went on the more the dancing along with cheering of the audience kept going up! Everyone was busy dancing and singing along.

They really cranked it up with Kimberly Locke singing both "A dream is a wish your heart makes," and her smash hit "8th world wonder!" Stevie Brock joined Ally and AJ in Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, and then he sang his song All 4 love. Ashanti with Christy Carlson Romano sang "Colors of the wind," then Christy sang "Dive In and her two Kim Possible songs, "Say the Word and Could it be?" Raven kept it going with "Under the Sea, Grazing in the Grass." Thinks really got high when The Cheetah Girls came on stage and sang "I won't say I'm in love!" someone let out a whistle when one did this amazing flip on the stage! Then all the people sang "Circle of Life" before Hannah Montana rocked with all her songs!

Finally, the cast of High School Music came up and now everyone was really busting out their best moves on the street beneath their feet as they rocked out the night. Finally, Ashley Tisdale was going to send them all home with her much-improved version of "Kiss the girl," as the beautiful blond start to sing Tea and Aziza moved in and swiftly kicked both Yugi and Yami in their asses forcing them to really dance to this song.

Mahad nodded confirming his Queen signal and he and the court then caused hundred of sky-high turquoise waters streams to shoot up around everyone. Mixing that was the chasing neon lights, exploding fireworks, and strobe with Mana adding the glitter it indeed invited the mood they wanted as did all of the humans Yami had to befriend. It was driving them all insane that they two were taking so long! So they thought they give them a gentle shove in the right way.

While it seemed to be working as both Yami and Yugi were indeed doing as the lovely lyrics said and everyone was shouting at the "YOU"RE GOING TO MISS THE GIRL!" line. Just as they song was reaching its climax and they were going too finally kiss a loud noise ruined it all!

It sound worse then a banshee and it sound like three of them. Whoever was screaming their tone was out of anger and disgust. But it was too late the damage was done. The mood was killed and Yami ran with Yugi close behind.

Yugi finally caught up with Yami at the small park where he'd met Mahad that first night. He was mumbling over and over in the same language he'd used while drunk. It must be his native tongue, not mere babble.

"Yami?" he asked gently to Yami who was so startled he fell over the wall he'd been sitting on. "Ow!" Yugi helped him up and they looked at each other as they held one another hand for a moment. For a few moments, it seemed their hearts beat as one before they broke off their hold.

"Yami, you ok?" he asked him. Yami gazed at the stars with a painful look in his eyes.

"I don't know, Yugi. I don't know if I'll ever be ok, Yami said as he sat on a tree stump in defeat.

"C' mon let's go for a walk. If we take this path, it will get home in less time, then if we go home the normal way," Yugi said as the moonlight paint the leaves around them silver and the wind laughed happily.

They began to walk leisurely as well as silently through the twisting path. Both unaware that maybe the mood wasn't completely lost. As they walked under two trees that form a heart shape arch they both began to think the same words as two pups in love.

"I've never had this feeling before. He gives me shakes and shivers I can't ignore. And I see now there more now then just running free," Yami thought as he looked at Yugi quickly before looking away again.

"I never felt my heart beat so fast. I'm thinking of him first and myself last and how happy I want him to be," Yugi thought as he looked at Yami quickly and then turned away.

"It's amazing. Someone in my life might just be loving me. I didn't know I could feel this way," Yami thought as he looked at Yugi and then gently pushed him into a flower bed. He looked so adorable as a sweet little angel as the fireflies burst out.

Yugi then yanked Yami down with him and they laughed rolling around together for a while in the beautiful moon blossoms. He looked at him and thought, "It's so crazy! Something in my life is better then a dream I didn't know I could feel this way,"

Then they both got up and followed the fireflies with glittering flower petals each of them thinking "He makes me warm and happy inside," "He smiles and I get dizzy and starry-eyed,"

As they reached the small bridge overlooking the koi pond they looked at their reflection. They both had wings and were glowing! But they assumed it was because of the fireflies. They gazed at their reflection and then laid their hands over one another. Each had the same thought going through their mind.

"All these feelings I've me asking can this be LOVE? Can this be LOVE? It's crazy! I can hardly speak whenever he says hi. I didn't know. I never dreamed that I. I didn't I could feel this way."

They walk the rest of the way home with their hands intertwined. They may've been deprived of their first kiss that night. But someone else wasn't. Duke had walked Mana back to the hotel and they'd a really good time.

"That was some night wasn't it?" he asked as they neared the building.

"Yeah, I never had that much fun back home. Fun isn't something my country really has. In fact, we don't have a lot of things. I hope when Yami turns 18th that will change," Mana told him in a halfhearted tone.

Biting her lip she then became rather bold. "I really like you, Duke. Back home I'd be forced to wed a man picked for me before I was even born. But since my birth mother abandons me, I wouldn't even get that. I'd never know the love of any kind. So there something I've wanted to do for a while and I just got the courage to do it."

"What is that? Um" he was startled as she threw herself at him a placed both her hands around his neck and gave him a very passionate kiss on the mouth. After a few moments, she finally released him so they both could breathe again.

"See you later Duke, I love you," Mana told him quietly at the same time as she skipped inside where her parents were waiting with pleased smiles. He just stood there for a few moments stunned.

Back at the Taste, the Vixens were digging through the 12th dumpster. They had tried to get the cup but had been literally walked on when everyone stamped to the concert. But they time they got back up all the trash been collected. Now they had been each digging for hours to find that cup. Each had yelled over and over again why he couldn't have blown up a stupid balloon. They're running out of time midnight was ten minutes away and they still hadn't found that blasted cup!

Hurry up, sisters! We don't' have much time left!" Shakti yelled and then squirmed as her hand touched a used diaper. "UGH! I HATE THIS PLANET!"

It' ain't a picnic over here I've had ten different pigeons do their business on my head!" yelled Oba from inside her dumpster.

"This can't get any…" Pomona started to say before both her sister yelled at her "DON" T FINISH THAT SENTENCE!" but too late. "Worse" and it began to pour rain oh did it poorly and it was accompanied by some alley cats that looked remarkable like Scat Cat and his Alley Cats from "The Aristocats" singing a very decent version of "Everybody wants to be a cat!"

"Ugh Pomona I when I get my hands on you, I'm going to. Huh? YES, I FOUND IT! SISTERS I FOUND IT!" Shakti cried as the three garbage infested Vixens climbed out and shoved the cup in a plastic bag. Then they teleported back to their Eden and by 1 second managed to shove the finally item in the last orb.

The final part of the puzzle lit up. A shadow fire now burned each Item until all that reminded was the energy of each item. Then the flames shot out from the orbs and engulfed the finale orb in an inferno of dark shadow fire. Disembody voices spoke the language knowledge to the shadows as a dark object was taken from within the final orb. After a few moments, it all died away. The Darklight Item was done.

"Get the Mistress on the fire. Inform her and the King the Darklight Item is ready," Shakti said as she thrust her hand into the bloody shadow orb and pulled out the Pyramid of Darklight!

They laughed insanely and then stopped abruptly. "Maybe we should bath first before we speak to our Mistress?" the other two suggested.

"Agreed they can wait two hours," they said as they yelled at their slaves to get their bath ready.


	16. Love will find a way

"Love will find a way"

Happy 17th birthday Yugi. May all your wishes come true today on June 4th your special day!

It was extremely late in truth it was almost first light. Whereas both Grandpa and Yugi were sound asleep all cozy in their beds, Yami was busy trying to figure out where a gazillion wires went along with humming "Love will find a way" from LK2. The magical dance and moonlight walk from a few hours ago still very fresh in his mind. More then ever he wanted to tell Yugi the truth and now he was at last ready to. He knew in his heart that Yugi would never reject him and perhaps he would soon have the courage to tell the rest of his human friends.

He wanted to show Yugi how much he meant to him. Just how much he'd given him, but how does someone express gratitude to a seraph for rescuing them? How does one show appreciation to somebody who rescued you in the nick of time before you lost your mind? Who liberated you from a loveless existence? Who were your sanctuary and you never do anything else in your life without them?

Aziza had told him her life motto. "To save one life you need not keep the heart beating, rather you give it a reason to beat," Now he finally understood what she meant and been trying to tell him. Yugi was the reason his heart was beating. He had got his heart to beat and with the help of all the lives around them, Yami heart would continue to beat strongly.

He'd had, at last, discovered the perfect gift, to really show Yugi, that he did love him more then the air he breathed. Yugi, in addition to all of their friends, were the reason he wished to become mortal. He never felt something this strong before and no matter what he was going to protect it. Now that he'd live through love, he never wished to go back to being Atem ever again even if it meant giving up his ability to fly! His only wish for his birthday was to remain eternally Yami in addition to that what he now felt the whole universe could experience as well.

Yugi didn't know yet, but with Yami getting so close to his birthday his Ascending was really starting to get close to its zenith. It was the 11th so he only had a week remaining. His powers where growing in addition to getting more powerful as well as unpredictable. So without Yugi even telling him, he knew what his true love heart yearned for more then anything else in this endless universe at this moment.

Yugi was an incredibly self-sacrificing soul and that was an extremely attractive trait to possess. However, it had also proven to be a double edge sword as well. Whilst all their friends had all this family time lately with their parents or phones calls and letters if they were away, Yugi sadly didn't.

He hadn't learned the lesson Guidan off Star Trek TNG had taught young Wesley Crusher at the beginning of season two. The lesson of when it's ok to be selfish and put your desires ahead of those of others. Right now all Yugi wanted was to hear or see his mother and father Ashita and Sho Moto whom he'd not heard or seen in almost 3 years since they'd been sent to the United States for his dad's corporation.

Yami had unintentionally obtained an extremely heartbreaking memory of Yugi in a fetal position in his bedroom with the lights off crying his heart out while holding a photograph of his family. He got it when they came home last night, Yugi had been extremely exhausted so he'd carried him to bed and tucked him in. Yugi fell dead to the world the second his head touched the pillow. Yami had kissed his forehead and obtained that heartrending recollection.

So he'd been up the rest of the hours of darkness trying to get this surprise ready for when his beloved woke from his sleep. Even with his powers, he knew he could just snap his fingers and bring Yugi parent's home. But he didn't do that. That was the easy way and he didn't want to use magic for this. If this was to be a true gift to show his love it had to come from his heart. So he picked up the instruction manual on how to set up a webcam and continued to slave away.

The golden sweet sunrays awoke Yugi once again from his dream of the singing heart. He was just stretching when he'd heard a woman singing. "Uh? What the?" Yugi stuttered as Yami came in with the same tray he'd used to make him breakfast in bed weeks ago. It was piled sky high with all his favorite foods. The singing was Melissa Ethridge singing on Yami's I-pod. She was singing "Welcome to this day, Brother Bear 2"

"Life is simple and clear when you make the right choice its truth that you hear when you find your own voice oh my brothers and sisters believe you're just what you're meant to be. Oh, great spirits hear my voice today. LOOK all around you! Welcome, welcome magic. Welcome sweet sunray welcomes sweet sunray. Love is no secret look all around you! Love is no secret look all around you. Welcome to this day!" he switched off the I-pod and sat down on the bed.

"Here Yugi, you better eat it fast. But don't chock please, I don't know the Heimlich yet. I meet you in the living room as soon as you're done. Oh, I suggest you throw something special on," he told him with a weird yet wonderful smile as well as look in his eyes.

"Yami what's…" but he already left the room leaving Yugi to eat his wonderful home cooked feast by himself. He ate as quickly as he could before changing into some stylish threads. Why's Yami being so nice? Did he suspect that everyone was planning him a huge surprise party for his birthday and trying to get the dirt from him? No that couldn't be it didn't fit his character. It had to be something else but what?

Yami was standing in front of the TV in the living room. There was a very comfortable heating massage chair set up with a tray of goodies from the bakery in front of the TV. What was going on? He took the seat as he assumed he was supposed too. A look of utter confusion covered his face as he looked at his best friend questioningly. "Okay Yami what's up? Why am I here?"

"Yugi I've something to say. Before I met you all I was just an animated statue that my false father liked to use as a punching bag. I didn't know what feelings or emotions were nor did I possess the ability to think. I was a prisoner and was doomed like all the people in my country of Xanadu to suffer till kingdom come."

"I ran away to escape that fate, to escape marrying a woman picked for me before I was born. Yet just escaping wasn't enough I wasn't free yet. Far from it in fact. I'd never had made it one day if you, my angel hadn't saved me. You've saved me in every way a person can be saved. You and all our friends have saved me from me. You gave me the gift of life, a real one. So on Saturday you and me along with Aziza will go to Lovers Horizon and I'll tell you all my secrets at dawn and then when the rest of the gang gets there at sundown I'll share them with them as well."

Yugi was amazed by the words of such eulogize emanating from the lips of the angel, he'd long to kiss. To have the breath of such an amazing man on his lips and his soothing touch on his fingertips was more then he could hope for and yet still was only a dream. He had done all this for Yami? Did Yami comprehend he'd done that and so much more for him in turn?

"Yami, I'm touched deeply. To be honest I've never felt happier in my life since I met you. There are words I like to say at this moment but my tongue won't let them out of my lips. I want to know you better then anyone else has or will. There is just so much to say and do."

"Yugi, the time is approaching fast. In a little while, we both can sing our hearts out to one another. But till that time comes I like to give you a gift from my heart to make yours fly high in the heavens tonight," as he stepped sideways to reveal his surprise.

"MOM! DAD!" Yugi cried in delightful surprise with his huge adorable amethyst eyes bursting with beads of moisture. He was extremely rapturous as was his parents on the TV screen in the course of the webcam link up. Yugi was the spitting image of his father Sho. He got his hair and height from his dad. His mom was not tall but not short either she had short bushy dark red hair and the same adorable eyes as her son.

"Oh Yugi! How are you doing, honey?" asked Ashita with a huge smile on her attractive face. She had longed to see her son face for so long. But one complication after another had prevented her and her husband from any means of communication with their son. They'd been incredibly shocked when Yami had by hook or by crook managed to set this up and they couldn't express their gratitude to the young man who looked like their son an adequate amount.

"I'm doing really good Mom. In fact, I've never been happier! Things are great. Though I've missed you both terrible," he confessed at the same time as the family began a long overdue reunion. Yami slipped out quietly telling Grandpa he'd be with his mother tying up some loose ends with his tribulations back home, but he'd be back in time for dinner.

His mom was outside waiting with the Pontiac. She was so swollen with both pride and happiness from watching her son, a gesture of love. He had truly gained a heart if he could give such a tremendous gift of love. In view of the fact that he hadn't used his magic to give this gift made it a real gift of love. Her son had truly become a human being.

People who did things without doing the hard work or struggling through trial and error didn't really accomplish anything at all. Those who didn't fail and learn from their mistake didn't really earn their prize if they didn't do it the right way. That was one of the lessons she'd learned from her parents as a young girl. It was these values as well as virtues bestowed to her as a child that had played a big part in saving her soul from the corruption that claimed so many of her people. She was extremely relieved that Yami had learned them as well. Furthermore, his heart and soul weren't corrupted, in the face of how he was brought up and by whom.

"That was very compassionate along with selfless of you, my Little Angel," Samira said at the same time as they buckled up and she slipped the pop version of Shania Twain UP! CD in the car player. "I'm so proud with the man you've become," as she reached over and kissed him gently before turning the keys and starting the car.

"Thank you, Mom. I'm extremely happy with who I've become, that I can't even remember who I was once upon a time. "Atem" seems nothing more then a lost memory in the winds of yesteryear. I at long last been able to see the bright light of hope, shining its radiant light down us and leading us to the future we've only dreamed of," he proclaimed in a euphoric tone at the same time as he took one of his pills with some Diet Caffeine Free Coke he'd brought along.

With his birthday just around the corner those Athena headaches where hammering away at his skull like jackhammers at a construction site! He pressed the button to lower the window and let his beautiful hair gently sway in the Zephyr. The fresh air lessened the headaches, but it didn't get rid of them.

Samira gazed for a moment at her son, although she was smiling it was one of pain. She became lost in the turmoil that she so long had carried she forgot she was supposed to be watching the road. "MOM RED LIGHT!"

"Huh? AH!" she slammed the brakes just in time. Though the both for a moment looked like bobble heads about to toss their cookies from the sudden halt! They'd like to thank God for two things. One they stop in time and didn't get a ticket because they were at a crossroad right next to the police station. And two being Sunday the roads were almost completely vacant!

"Mom? Perhaps I should drive as an alternative? Somehow I don't think you have got the mental or emotional capability at the moment to do it," Yami suggested carefully to his mom. She didn't look like she could drive any further and they're still were 15 minutes away from their desired location.

For a moment she was quiet, and then she pushed the gear into park and turned off the car. They traded places and she asked him if he had his driver licenses. He told her carried in his wallet and he was certified to drive both motorcycles and cars. He had admitted he wanted to be a donor and get that fixed once he could to that.

Adjusting the seat, he turned to her to check to see if she was ok. She looked like she had a double aliment. One part a headache and the other heartache. He knew he could help with her headache but not sure with the heartache. Still, he quickly started the car up for a second time and went following 4th street over an overpass till he came to the turn off on Pulaski. As they climbed the hill he'd asked his mother what was troubling her.

"Mom? You ok? I mean really ok? I know Aknamkanon is even worse the Lucifer or Hitler even! We've both suffered beyond description maltreatment as well as witnessed horrors that no soul should've to witness, but if there is something else. Something you want to do or say before my birthday. Then do it now I beg you, Mother. I can't stand seeing you or anyone I love in any kind of pain," he said as he hit his turn single to show he was going to go right on Shooting Park Rd.

"Yami I love you, my son. I never want to lose you again. I've lost a great deal over my long life already. I lost my world, I lost my innocents, I lost my mother in a way you can't possibly ever hoped to comprehend. I lost my virginity in the most dishonorable manner, I lost my best friend, and because of that beast I've almost lost the only two remaining members of my family."

"I don't know if I've got the strength to endure the impending fate that now been woven in the universe grand design. The fate that intertwines all of the people of Xanadu with the people of Earth or the three threads that connect you, your sister and Yugi together in unknown fate. My head is so full of memories of the past and my heart is an assault by an onslaught of unmanageable sensations. So I'm experiencing a great deal of pain, my son," Samira told him in a voice so full of pain and sorrowfulness you think she was stuck at a funeral.

Yami made an impulse decision and turned into Baker Lake Parking Lot. They had turned onto Airport road to get to their location anyway. The apartment's complexes were on 23rd St. That wasn't far so they could be a little late. It was also near the North Central building. He and Aziza had walked a lot yesterday. It'd been good exercise and not enough people got exercise.

Mother and son began to walk around the lake silently. Both just were listening to the earth and all its wonders surrounding them. It had a healing effect on Samira who was reminded of the lake from her childhood. When they were half around near the playground section that was near a neighborhood with highly expensive houses, she ran to the swings as did he.

Giggling blissfully as they tried to go higher then other and both leaped off with doing perfect mid-air summersaults. They got back on the pathway and she rubbed her temples for a second time. He reached in his jean pocket and pulled out his pills. "Here it will get rid of the pain, Mom. I guaranteed it," he said as he offered her the painkiller. However despite the fact, her headache was just as bad as he was, she bluntly refused to take them.

"Mom if you're feeling like you've goddess using diamond tip jackhammers on the inside of your skull, you should take one. They've helped greatly with my Ascending. I've taken one pill every morning and one before I sleep. This combined with this entire planet wonderful music helped me throughout this cursed divine puberty I've had to undergo. Why won't you take one?" Yami asked as they sat down on the fresh spring grass for a few minutes to catch their breaths.

"I don't want to forget," she replied simply without even looking at him.

"I don't understand. You don't want to forget what?" as a number of waterfowls gracefully landed on the glass-smooth waters below them.

"You've heard the phrase, 'Those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it?'" she asked him and he nodded so she continued. "People don't understand how true that little phrase is. When something bad or embarrassing happens people have a great tendency to force themselves to forget it. That's a mistake even the people of Xanadu made."

A strange look was now etching its way across her face as she enlightens him on a very important and vital lesson. "In school or in the real world many souls don't want to hear about the past. You kids whine and say things like "We already know this! We've heard a million time! It's done and over with! Let's move on!" But answer me this, Yami? How can you move on if you truly don't understand what happened before? You can't have a future if you don't have a past. I've been told you can say the whole movie of "Titanic" by heart, Yami. Tell me why do you think it sold so well?"

"Besides great actors and well execute I guess because of the story itself," he replied uncertainly. He'd had like it a great deal but his mom was trying to tell him something. He for moment recalled what Aziza had discussed the day they'd all gone to the Sin Park. She had discovered a great deal of wisdom from animated shows so he guessed his mom was trying to acquaint with him some lesson she had learned from something as well.

"Yami when EGSs or Events of Great Significant come to pass we should commit to memory them. Whether they are of a negative nature like 9-11, Katrina, Tsunami, Holocaustic or any War that has been fought. Or good nature when we've got the Olympics, save lives, when a child is born, when hate is dissolved. It doesn't matter whether is good or bad we need to remember it all."

"To truly see it all from everyone points of view. To understand why these things happened and how we can prevent several of them occurring for a second time. If we willingly go on like this and don't beyond doubt gain knowledge of from the mistakes of those who came before us, then even Earth will eventually share the fate of Xanadu. We've got to learn by heart the past. I mean all of it both the good and bad. Then we must really learn from it. Only after all that has been done may we have a chance at a better future."

"Mahad asked me if I was on any medication. I've been repeatedly prescribed anti-depressed but I don't utilize them. I don't want to forget because once I forget I won't be all to help make the future better. So I willingly endure this pain of years of abuse and pain and I'm not going to numb with drugs, booze or anything," she explained to her son who was very astounded by her explanation.

The more he thought about it as they continue to walk back to the car, the more he realized she did have a point. One can't forget the past and even he couldn't forget his own either. Regardless of it being nothing but years of unyielding torment along with maltreatment. If he acted like it didn't happen that'd be a lie and lying wasn't good either. Lying wouldn't change the fact it had happened. Furthermore lying about his ordeals wouldn't stop it from happening again either. If he didn't wish for what'd happen to him to come to pass to anyone else, he'd have to be brave enough to say it had occurred to him as well as that he overcame it.

He'd learned a little of this in Mrs. Kalel class when guest speakers came in on one occasion. They'd talk to the students about the subjects concerning Abuse, Rape, and Domestic Violence and so on. But one point they'd made perfectly clear was pretending a problem doesn't exist will never make the problem go away. You can't avoid something like abuse.

He'd thought while listening to these ladies that he could no more lie about his abusive past any more then Long Feng could lie about the Fire Nation War on Avatar. Pretending that there was no war didn't change the fact the war was going on and that they lost city because of not doing something about it. He had to give Aziza credit. She was right you could obtain great insight for life in just about anything.

The remainder of the drive was uneventful. They continue down the street till just before an intersection. They made a right turn onto a side road called Edwards. Then went two more blocks over till turning left on Malcolm, till coming to a road marked 23rd St. Turning right they went down it till the reached the end of the street and on the left was a large set of apartment's complex.

Even if the whole street had signed on both sides that read in red letters "No Parking" plenty of cars where parked on the street. The reason? No other parking space was available! The parking lots for the apartments where so tight in addition to small even a soapbox car couldn't hope to get out of them!

Yami smartly parked in a dead end street across from the middle driveway of the apartments. All he needed to do was look both ways as he backed out and go back the way he came. You'd less of a chance of running into some type of road construction that way.

The car automatic locked up as they got out. Waiting for them across the street where Samir, Aziza, the Court along with three other adults. One was Mr. Carles from school seeing how he was the property specialist. Another was a young woman cinnamon skin tone and long crimped dark cerulean tresses and ocean blue eyes in a navy DKNY mini dress suit. She was holding the kind of metal briefcase one sees in the movies with handcuffs. The last one was another guy. He looked like a MIB dude the way he was dressed up.

The lady was Deborah Jackson. She was a lawyer and a very good and honest one. A longtime friend of Samir and his late wife Efra she was in charge of her own firm and they helped everyone and everything. She was told in confidence the truth about the situation and this girl never lied in her life. With 4 generations of the legal representative in the family, it was impossible to. The man was her fiancée and high-level government agent named Hudson Asner. He worked with the government on a global scale and was also a long time and decent individual and addition to a cherished friend to Samir.

They had been roommates in college. On one particular occasion, they both get extremely intoxicated together on their first Frat Party aka Hell Night. Deborah along with her roommate as well as best friend Efra ended up doing what Aziza had done for Yami. Needless to say, the women hadn't been happy with the boys getting that smashed. They'd made each of them hang a total of 8 bottles for how much liquid poison they'd willingly ingested into their bodies. It was a miracle they hadn't overdosed and died. They'd straightened up afterward. After that the four had become fast friends and when they heard the fantastic story about winged beings searching for homes they jumped at the chance to return the favor from so long ago.

"Hello, Samira. So nice to see you again, it's been awhile. You must be Yami, it a great pleasure to meet you, young man. I'm Deborah and this is my soon-to-be husband Hudson. We've been dealing with the pressing matters for helping your people to emigrated and establish legal status for quite some time. Let me tell you it wasn't easy, but I think we've managed a winning combination," Deborah informed Yami as she shook his hand.

"I thank you deeply, all of you for helping me and the rest of Xanadu. You are true heroes for helping us. If I may be frank for a moment I have a confession to make," he told her as he let go of her hand and clutched his Puzzle tightly.

"Yes, Prince Yami? What do you wish to say? We've all sworn a vow of confidence till it's all over. So you can say whatever you wish and it won't leave this circle of trust. I assure you on that young man," Hudson told the young immortal prince in a reassuring and trusting tone. He wanted Yami to have faith in him.

"I never in my life, which was too go on forever, imaged this is where I'd be standing a week from my 18th birthday. You've agreed to help us in a way that even all the magic we possess cannot aid us. You wish to share this world with us. I've learned so much and I'm grateful for all that I've learned and that soon all the people who been trapped so long will be free. Earth is no more perfect then Xanadu because perfect is nothing more then an illusion. I now understand that along with so much else. However, with your help, my people will be able to start of fresh with no worries and that's the best gift anyone could ask for."

"Before I came here I thought at this time I'd be preparing for my wedding which would be next week. Ha! Wedding! Marriage has done for everything, but love is not marriage at all. Like I said Earth isn't perfect and that is how it should be. Life doesn't have to be perfect and beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder. So no matter the evils of this world there is still far too much good. Very soon my people will be able to make their own choices in life and make their own destiny. So thank you all of you helping in making that dream come true."

"That was extremely full of meaning, Prince Yami. C'mon let us see our new dwellings, shall we? If would you be so kind Professor Carles to show us the property?" Mahad request to the math teacher/real-estate man.

"Please call me John. C'mon this place may be a little noisy and a little cramp but it's great for starting a new life. It was recently renovated with some of the latest environment and energy saving modifications. It should be able to accommodate all your basic needs. The necklaces you've offered up as payment will cover you and your people for the next ten years no problem," as he unlocked one of the doors marked 631B and showed them into the apartment that was too be for the four them.

It had a tiny kitchen space, a living room, and a half bathroom. There was a door by the steps leading to the laundry room. The steps lead to the bedrooms, upstairs bathroom, and attic. They spent over an hour looking over the property and surrounding area.

The adults sent the kids away for a while so they could do the mind-numbing stuff in peace. So they went to a field next to the building and began to fool around with Aziza's neon green ball. She liked balls and carried one around on occasions. So the three of them just chatted and climbed trees while the whole thing was finalized. No one could believe this was really happening.

Mana was super ecstatic to get her own room and in a little while start a new school. She hoped when she attends the human school it wouldn't be a repeat of what she had to endure back in Xanadu. Yami promised with his friends around they make sure no hurt her again. Aziza then deliberately lost the ball in some bramble and made Yami go get it. This was done so she could talk with Mana about the party and few other matters with Yami out of earshot.

Around a quarter to noon, they finally finished with everything. The Court was getting a lift back to the hotel to pack up and get ready to leave. They didn't say how but they assured them they had figure out a way to leave without fearing for their lives. Everyone promised to keep everyone informed about the other condition and call immediately if danger should happen to arise. Samir drove the four them home. Yami thanked his stepfather for the ride and asked him to help his mom get a nap in, seeing how desperately she needed one. Aziza offered to walk him back the Game Shop and she wants to see how Yugi was enjoying his gift. So the brother and sister walked the short walk to the game shop.

They hadn't even gone a block before Yami stopped abruptly. "Yami you ok?" Aziza inquired with her sweet voice full of concern. Her acute hearing told her brother was somewhat disheartened along with ecstatic at the same time.

"Aziza I've got a question. Do you think you'll be able to answer it?" he asked in a very unsure tone as he leaned against a telephone pole. He'd come to depend on her in times of needing wisdom and just someone to listen to him. He knew he had a special unique bond with all the lives that had touched him and that he'd had touch in turn. But right now the question he had was one only she could answer.

"I'll try. I can't guarantee I can answer it but I'll give it my best shot."

"My question is actually related to my gift to Yugi actually," he began to enlighten before she interjected.

"Yugi's gift? You allowed him to talk to his family for a few hours. What does that have to do with you?"

"Yugi's selfless is the reason he can't see his parents as frequently as he like. He never learned to be selfish. I know there's a time and a place to be self-centered. So how will I know when it's ok? Have I been too selfish already? I left my world to come here and for the past 3 months lived a wonderful life while the rest of my people have suffered," he began to explain pausing for a moment as the wonderful memories of his life on Earth played through his mind. He sighed with satisfaction as a wistful expression etched its way upon his sexy features before he continued to explain his problem.

"I unexpectedly along the way received some extraordinary gifts of my own. I've got friends and a family, all of them are irreplaceable as well as priceless. All which the Divine Beings and Beasts of my country only can dream of! I for so long didn't understand the pain and now that I do, I can only wonder if I've been too selfish," Yami confessed his feelings of guilt. He had been harboring them for a long time now. Aziza was quiet for a few moments, then, at last, spoke to her brother.

"That is a very deep and hard to answer. I don't think even a philosophizer could give you the answer you're seeking. I, however, will tell you what I think might help. That is if you really wish to hear it. You can listen to it and you can disagree with it but it's just my thoughts on that doozey of a question."

"Anything you have to say I'll listen to. I just so confused, I could use all the advice and help I can get right now. So please share what's on your mind with me. I want to know Aziza, please tell me."

"From what I've observed in my life and from all I know of Xanadu I can only draw one conclusion. In life the one thing all people want is freedom. It isn't selfish to desire to have a life where freedom exists. It would be if you didn't bestow that luxury to the people you care about if you have got the ability to do so. I believe for those who suffered something worse then Hell, are entitled to be selfish for a little while. Just as so long as they bear in mind, to be of assistance to those innocent souls, still trapped in Hell escape, to freedom as well. You want to save your kingdom I hardly call that selfish. Furthermore, you haven't forgotten your people. All you've been doing here is so your people can have a real life. I don't think any of your past actions would be considered selfish, it facts makes you magnanimous. It makes you human to want things for yourself, at the same time you still have enough of a conscious to think of others," Aziza pointed out.

"Thank you, Aziza. I needed to hear that."

"Um look I know I'm the one who talked about trust and secrets and so forth. But I've got to tell you this. When your mom first married my dad she went to my mom's grave for her permission," Aziza started to tell him.

"I know she spoke with your mom spirit and received her permission as well as a blessing."

"She didn't just ask permission to marry Daddy, Yami. She asked my mom Efra is she could've permission to raise me as her own. My mom told her she'd be extremely honored to have an angel raise her daughter in her place. So your mom adopted me. Now Daddy wants to do the same to you. He wants you to be his real son and not his stepson. That's what he wants to give you for your 18th birthday. He'd like the privilege, in addition, to honor to have you for a son and try to be a father to you," Aziza told the winged prince. He was thoroughly shocked to the point he couldn't speak.

"Yami?" Aziza spoke hesitantly. She hoped she hadn't killed him in some manner by springing him with the shocking news. It was supposed to be a surprise, on the other hand, she felt, perhaps just this once she could let a secret slip. Given the circumstances and everything else.

He then snapped out of his funk and picked up his sister and spun her around. Then he hugged her tightly all while laughing happily. "So I take it that as a yes?"

"You bet my soon to be mortal life it's a yes! C'mon let's go tell Yugi! The sooner I tell him this good news the sooner I'll get to tell him everything else!" as they raced off like cheetahs to the game shop.

At Eden, the Vixens had been waiting for the King say-so to commence with the second part of the ritual. The three malevolent sisters had their hands joined as if they're the Charmed Ones ready to kick demon ass. Only instead of the Book of Shadows in the center of them was the Pyramid of Darklight.

(You know from the movie. You've got to freeze it when Yugi running away from the mummies it so cute the look on his face! Oh, Kaibutt I hate to tell you but you couldn't win anyway since Pyramid of Light wasn't a real card it was only used to drain Atem. Kill Kaibutt he is sick! Oh speaking of cards? There over a billion of them so I think its impossible to remember what every single one of the can and can't do!)

The Trio was so euphoric to learn they'd finished the Ritual. Camille said they ought to do the second half of the spell immediately. This perhaps would be the only time that Aknadin sees eye to eye with her. However surprisingly Aknamkanon told them to wait, this shocked everyone a great deal. They all did the stupid thing and asked the question for not doing the second half immediately.

"Don't question my motives or you'll be going on a one-way trip to the necropolis!" he bellowed in a fury of black rose petals. He held the Heart of Xanadu in beastly grasp at the same time with a look of repugnance. The Heart was now so bright it almost blocked out the sun rays and it was even more brilliant gold then all the sun gold in the universe combined.

He wanted to wait for the moment of his progeny greatest happiness. If Atem wished to destroy his father dreams of happiness, it was only fair to return the act of kindness now, wasn't it? He'd wait a little longer till his son thought he'd know no more of this spurious pleasure and then he'd take it from him.

That was how Aknamkanon own father King Mordecai; the last King of the Xanadu Universe had trained him to be. Aknamkanon and Aknadin had been taught plenty of lessons from their parents that had prepared them for the moment at hand. They didn't bother with insignificant travails such as compassion or love. No that only made you weak. Their father had taught his sons to be strong and not weak. He'd along with their beautiful mother had raised them right. You want something you take it! By any means necessary! They were better then gods even! They didn't baby them as Samira parents had been so foolish to do. Samira could've been a great queen if she hadn't been crippled by those fools! His father had the last laugh on the subject, hadn't he?

After all the only other time the Darklight Ritual had been used on Samira's mother, Solmina, putting her into an eternal torment she'd never wake up from that he'd gotten his way. The Ritual left the victim forever comatose, but their soul was eternally raped in a way that no words could ever hope to describe. There was no putting one out of their misery for even death didn't release the victim from this evil. That is why it had been outlawed. This had been enough for Aknamkanon to take Samira as his own with little resistance from her father.

So with very little to do but wait for him to say the magic word, the Vixens used the Rose Whip taken from the condemn Harpies to beat their slaves up. When someone was made mortal their powers and tools were dividing up amongst those loyal to the King. They had the worthless peons get them some crystal chalices full of icy-cold Fireblood, chocolate éclairs, and a plasma TV. They thought the kill time by watching their favorite moments in Charmed. They loved the sisters, as in Piper, Phoebe, and Paige that is. It was one the few human things they'd acquired a likening to since been given this hunting assignment. They'd become their idols seeing how very much alike they were. All three of the Vixens were enamored with Cole/Belthazor played by dreamboat Julian McMahon whom they'd found to be irresistible. The Vixens were wondering if they could ask King Aknamkanon to bring him to life for themselves as a reward for accomplishing this easier said than done undertaking for him.

They were just enjoying watching a possessed Cole and Phoebe having a make-out session in Piper's kitchen. The Vixens surprisingly had stopped being lethal one-tracked minded hunters and became normal young lovesick girls. Their hormones and endorphins were going up and past the moon that's how much this stud was turning them on!

"Oh, it must be a crime to be that fine!" Oba, the youngest squealed happily while drooling. She was the Vixen who was a die-hard evil romantic.

"Show us some skin! Oh man, I wish he was kissing my lips! I love his ebony coiffed hair! Hmm, he is so delicious!" Pomona exclaimed. She was just as hyped up and a lot of belladonnas were springing up to show how happy she was.

"He is so perfect! Dark, edgy and one of the most handsome mortals! He's got a devilish good look and he's even more adorable as the demon! That settles it, ladies! Once this hunt is over and we deliver the master his rabbit he gives us this dark god for our prize or else!" Shakti screamed holding a Belthazor doll she made tightly.

All of the sisters screamed like the love-struck fangirls they were at that thought. All of them had a t-shirt with Julian Mcaulion face on the front with his demon face on the back. They all had a two-face doll as well. It was official; they had finally found someone they all could love! As much as the three she-devils were capable of that emotion anyway.

"Ladies? I hope I'm not interrupting anything important. Seeing as how the only thing of importance is getting my worthless offspring back!"

"Oh, you're Highness. Is it time?" they all asked as they quickly hid their fandom belongs. They didn't want to be seen displaying any human weakness to their boss.

"Yes, it is time. Begin the second half now," he ordered them with a look that would give both Hades and Lucifer nightmares.

"Hold it, Kingie! You must swear to give us what we want when we complete this mission and you must promise it now!" the Vixens told him bluntly.

"What?! How dare you have the audacity to tell me what to do! You little bitches must be mad if you think I'm going to…" he stopped when they held out the Pyramid in front of him. He knew that if he angered them they would destroy it and he'd lose his chance of taking back his rebellious child.

"We'll destroy the Darklight Pyramid if you don't give us what we desire. You may have the Black Card handy should this fail, but it still won't be enough to get Atem back in line unless we weaken him first. So you better listen to our demands now or this will be destroyed got it? After all the hard work and suffering we've gone through we deserve a little compensation," Shakti told him icily.

"Fine what is it you want? I'll give you anything your heart desires. Power, riches, and all the slaves you could ever want. I'll grant you whatever your precious black heart's desire is. Name it now and it will be granted to you the moment Atem is back in Xanadu," he promised them seeing how they held his heart's desire in their perfectly manicured hands.

Smiling devilishly they all said at once what they wanted, "We want the being is known as Cole Turner and Belthazor to be forever our lover!" they screamed happily.

"You're joking, right? You desire a fictional character from HUMAN ENTERTAINMENT as your eternal concubine?" he looked at them like they lost their minds. Then he rolled his eyes and nodded. With such a ridiculous request he didn't see himself having to fulfill it anytime soon.

"YES!" they screamed happily before turning to face him, "We shall now break Atem!" The King nodded and signed off pleased that his plan was about to become a reality.

The Vixens smiled at one another savoring the moment. They then rejoined their hands and began to chant in the Shadow Language and called forth the Dark God Zork and asked him to grant them his lovely powers to kill the soul known as Prince Atem from within!

The Pyramid began to glow intensely bright and a large pillar of shadow fire engulfed the Item. Then a primal scream of the Dark God Zork rang out throughout the city as he bestowed them his powers. The Darklight now shot out faster then even light and began to make its way to the desired soul of the intended victim, Atem/Yami, the grandson of the only other victim this ritual ever claimed.

Yugi was just finishing up his chat with his parents. He'd told them everything, well almost everything. With only ten minutes remaining before they lost the signal, he confessed his greatest secret. "Mom, Dad. I want to say this one thing before we are separated once more. I'm in love. I love Yami more then the air I breathe. I give him my heart if I could. I love him so much and I just wish I could tell him that."

"Yugi I've got a strong feeling he feels the same way about you, son. Just tell him how you feel and if you can't say it, then show him," his mother told him kindly. She could see that her son was not simply experiencing a crush, but real love.

"Yes, Yugi I believe that Yami does love you too. Just tell him how you feel. I know you can do it. We'll try harder in the future to talk to you more. We love you, Yugi," Sho along with his wife Ashita told their son with tears in their eyes.

"I love you too, Mom, Dad. I miss you but you're always in my heart. See you soon," Yugi said with tears falling from his eyes. They just smiled and waved until the link was severed. It had only been good for so many hours. Yet it had been enough for Yugi. He was still crying but these where tears of joy. He then looked out the window and saw coming up the street Yami and Aziza.

He blazed past Grandpa who didn't yell at him for running in the house or leaving a mess on the floor. He leaped off the banister to the floor below and kept running till he ran right into Yami's arms and knocked flat on his back.

"Thank you, Yami! No one has ever done something like that for me. Thank you!" as he hugged him tightly. Yami returned the hug with the same amount of love and then they looked at each other beautiful eyes. Slowly they eased their way to the others about to kiss the lips of the angel that had saved them when all of sudden Yami shoved him to the ground hard.

"Yami? Yami?! What's wrong?!" Yugi cried as both he and Aziza in her own way watched Yami. He was screaming incoherently with pieces of his native tongue mixed into. He looked like he was having a heart attack yet his skin was now an odd mix of green and gray and he looked like corpse only worse! All around them all hell broke loose as chaos and pandemonium engulfed the entire city in seconds.

Yugi and Aziza tried to hold Yami down and calm him, but he threw them with enough strength that he rivaled Superman. Somehow for a few seconds, they both recalled in the back of their mind the episode when Clark had been exposed to 'Silver Kryptonite' because this was just like that episode only they both felt this was going to be 1000 times worse!

He screamed one more time and they were able to get the word "Darklight" before he cut and run, leaving them in confusion as what just happened. Grandpa came running outside to see what the commotion was about. He caught a glimpse of Yami's retreating back before he noticed Yugi and Aziza sprawled out on the ground. "Yugi! Aziza! Are you two okay? What happened?"

"We're fine Grandpa, but Yami's not. Something is seriously wrong. One minute he was talking to us and then the next he was screaming his head off," Yugi told him as he shakingly got to his feet.

"It sounded like he was having some kind of fit. By the way, his heart was racing I bet his skin changed color and his insides felt like they were being torn apart. We need to go talk Mom and see if she knows what he meant by 'Darklight'. Come on Yugi haul that butt of yours!" Aziza ordered as they took of down the street towards her home.

When they reached the gallery they nearly pulled the door of its hinges as they raced inside. They found Samira having tea with Mahad, his family, and Seto. Samir came in from the kitchen carrying a tray of cookies. He noticed the two teens right away. "Aziza, Yugi, what's the matter? Why are you two out of breath and where's Yami?"

"Something… gasp…happened…gasp… to Yami! We were talking and then all of sudden he started having some kind of attack. His skin changed color, he screamed in excruciating pain, and everything around us descends into chaos. He took off running and we don't where he is," Yugi gasped quickly gulping down some tea.

"Those symptoms sound familiar. Tell me child did Yami say anything before he took off?" Isis asked concerned. Her Necklace hadn't warned her of any danger and if the Prince was in trouble the hopes of all Xanduaions could be in jeopardy.

"He only said one word. It sounded like 'Darklight'. Okay, why did everyone's heart start doing the fifty-meter dash? Is my brother in danger or something? Mom please what's going on?" Aziza demanded.

Samira had nearly fainted upon hearing the word Darklight. Mahad and Isis guided her to the sofa. "Not again, please not again. Mahad, Isis, please you must find him before the full effects of the Vixens drug destroy him!"

"We will your Majesty, don't you worry. No harm shall come to Prince Atem. Isis, I need you and Mana to go to the center of the town and perform a glamour before anyone notices what's going on. Samir, Aziza call up all your friends and start a dragnet search for the Prince. Tell them to approach with extreme caution. Seto and I will join them," Mahad commanded.

"No, I need Seto for a special mission. Nephew, please go to the Harmony Bridge and ask for Shimon. Give him the message 'Angel of Dreams needs his assistance. The Darklight has returned. That it's eclipsing Little Angel Heart and I need the Acornia Stone right away'. Go as fast as the winds permit time is of the essences," Samira instructed.

"Don't worry Aunt Samira, I won't let Atem down. You can count on me!" Seto told her before taking off.

"We best be going to. Who knows what damage has already been caused by those horrible Vixens?" Isis said.

"Yeah, those ladies are going to pay with messing with Atem. You can count on me!" Mana told the Queen before the two ladies left.

"Don't worry love I'm sure that everything will work out. Aziza come into the kitchen and help me with those phone calls will you?" Samir asked. He glanced at his wife knowing that she was very frightened.

"Sure thing Dad, no one messes with my brother without getting beat up!" Aziza replied as they entered the kitchen leaving Yugi alone to comfort Samira. As much as he wanted to go and look for Yami he needed some answers first.

"Mrs. Keeper?"

"Please call me Samira Yugi."

"Okay Samira, I know this isn't the best time, but I have some questions. Questions that I think you have the answer to. Like why did you call Yami "Atem" and what this Darklight thing is? Why did Mahad call you Queen and so many other questions? Please just answer what you can right now."

"I'll try Yugi, but it's a long complicated story and Yami should be the one telling it not to me. Still, I guess I can give you the cliff note version. First off Atem is Yami's real name that his sire branded him with. I've always called him Yami. His full name is Prince Atem of Xanadu, son of King Aknamkanon and Queen Samira. Heir to the throne of Xanadu as well as the ancient relic is known as the Heart of Xanadu."

"WHAT! Yami is a prince of a small country and he never told me! Well, I guess that explains why he didn't know much when I first met him. If your home country is so isolated it's not a surprise that the citizens don't know much about the real world. So are Mahad and the others royalty too?"

"They're members of my ex-husband's court. You see Yugi my home country is not the paradise it's named after. It's more like a prison where the people are abused and taken advantage of by the ones in power. Aknamkanon is cruel and merciless. He beats Yami so that he can control him. Yugi, when Yami turns eighteen he automatically ascends the throne and gains control over the Heart of Xanadu. With the Heart, Yami could finally free our people from their prison and Aknamkanon won't allow that. That's why after he sent Mahad and friends after Yami he sent his elite task force known as the Vixens to bring my son back before he turns eighteen. If he can manage to break Yami's spirit and force him to wed, Aknamkanon won't have to give up his power."

"Why didn't you guys escape before it got this bad and what does this have to do with the Darklight thing Yami mentioned?"

"You have to understand that Xanadu is nearly impossible to escape. The defenses protecting it make it difficult to leave. Many have tried to use the power of their relics to disrupt the Heart's power, but have failed. I barely escaped with my life, but in the process, I lost Yami. I want to show you something because it ties into your question about the Darklight ritual. Follow me," Samira instructed getting up and heading over to her safe. Yugi followed wondering what she wanted to show him.

From the safe Samira removed a dazzling golden Egyptian style crown with the same eye symbol on it that was on all the Items Yami's people had. "This is the Millennium Crown and my relic. Every Xanduaions has one. They have certain attributes that help us in our country. Normally they protect us, however evil relics such as the Darklight Items cause pain. I should know the last one destroyed my mother."

"You mean that your mother lost her mind? Those Vixens are using a weapon that can transmit pain to others over a distance? I guess when it's at full power it creates destruction in its wake. What's going to happen to Yami if we can't stop this Darklight item? Isn't there some way to block its effects?" Yugi demanded.

"No, the item is specifically tuned into Yami's DNA. It will harm no other. The only way to counter its effect is with the item I request Seto to retrieve. Until he returns with it I need you and Aziza to join the search for him. If you find Yami, hopefully, the two of you can reach him and keep him sane long enough for the Acornia Stone's healing powers. Please be careful Yugi. Yami will attack anyone who gets to close and while's under attack his Puzzle will lash out against anyone it perceives as a threat."

"I will Samira, don't you worry. Aziza you finished with the phone calls?" Yugi asked as Aziza and Samir joined them.

"I called everyone and they've started scouring the city. I told them to check Yami's haunts and few places that he doesn't normally go in the case in his crazed state he doesn't know where he is. Come on let's get a move on before the trail gets cold," Aziza said as the two teens ran out the house looking for the friend.

They had people looking all over the whole city, but they weren't having any luck so far. They'd broken off in groups and were keeping in contact with their cell phones. Even surprisingly Kaibutt was using his company satellites to try and find Yami! But they couldn't find him anywhere.

"Any news to report?" asked Yugi frantically as he paused for a moment to answer his phone.

"Negative, Yugi. My family and I have combed every inch of the docks. He not here at all, I'm afraid, sorry. We looked in every warehouse and turned up zilch. We'll keep looking though," Marik giving his update.

"Serenity says he not at the hospital either nor is he at the dance studio. We've eliminated just about all the place he's ever been too! We're running out of places to look!" Aziza reported sadly.

"Yeah according to Kaiba's text that I got five minutes ago his satellites haven't found him either. Aziza what are we going to do? If this Darklight can drive Yami insane and make him a prisoner in his own body forever what hope is there? I can't lose him I just can't! Not now! Not ever!" Yugi spoke in a heartbreaking tone.

For once Aziza didn't know what to say. She wished she knew what to do. She was more worried about Yami's inability to control his magic. She had learned enough from her brother with his birthday so close his powers were very powerful at the same time unpredictable. If he didn't have the necessary self-control to keep it in check he risked killing his adoptive world without even knowing that he did!

That is why Isis and Mana now were climbing a billion flights of stairs. They had reached the building that was in the heart of the city. They knew what they had to do. The question was would they be able to pull it off and not kill themselves? They reached the top of the building and then began to try and remove the harnesses that kept their wings restrained. They shouldn't be able to remove them without their 'King' say-so. Yet they managed to rip them off because the love that they had for Yami was more powerful then the spell.

"You ready my daughter?" asked Isis as she resumed her Xanadu form as did Mana. The look in her daughter's eyes told her that she was more then ready. Mana was no longer a klutzy scared little child. She was now a strong-minded and compassionate young woman who does everything she could to help someone she loved.

"Mama I can do this don't worry about me. I'm a full-fledged magician! Let's do this. This is for Xanadu, the Prince, and in the name of freedom!" she declared as she and her mom concentrated.

They slowly ascended into the skies in a shimmering aura of great magic. Between them was a golden sphere of magic. When they where high in the sky they released the magic and began the glamour spell. This would allow them to shield from non-divine eyes what was going on due to Yami's magic. It also at the same time would minimize it to a certain extent. This excessive amount of magic could easily force them into a comatose state or worse. Yet they weren't thinking of themselves only of Yami who need them right now.

Seto had also out the love for his people and cousin resumed his true form. The harness lay in ashes as he quickly flew faster then the comet stallions to the Harmony Bridge. He was greeted by one of the Celestial Sirens, the bird from Yami's dream. He gave the bird the parchment with the message and it took off to make the rest of the trek to Xanadu. There was nothing more to do than wait for a response.

Shimon was out in the garden by the Hope Tree. He seemed lost in a world of his own. He was greatly surprised when the Siren swooped in on him and gave him the parchment. He quickly read the elegant handwriting and his heart would've stopped if it could. His kind face now resembled how Samira was. He had for a moment a look of pure hatred that never had been on his face before. He then burned the note and flew faster then light to get the Acornia Stone.

He took a secret passage into the Archives not wanting to catch the attention of the Tyrant, Cyclops or Bitch. He quickly entered the Archives and went just to the spot where a safe similar to Samira's was. He opened it and quickly retrieved a golden box with a pegacorn carved on the lid. He only paused long enough to realize that the black box that contained the Black Card was missing. That was a seriously bad omen. Still saving the Prince from the fate that now trying to claim him was more important. He knew all too well what that fate was and he wouldn't let it happen ever again!

He gave the box to the Siren who flew faster then light back to Seto. Seto graciously thanked the bird and flew back to Earth. He telepathically called Mahad who report in a frustrated tone that they still hadn't located the Prince and they need to hurry! They were at their wits ends. They looked everywhere they could possibly think Yami be and he wasn't! Time was quickly running out.

"C' mon there got to be someplace we've not looked! I mean guys c' mon! Think!" Yugi cried out in a fury that no one thought he was capable of. Even though everyone was talking on a cell phone they'll found it hard to image Yugi in this state. He just had such a great gift now this had to happen!

"I don't know Yugi. We've looked everywhere. I mean even Kaibutt is stumped. I don't know where else to look!" Joey said over his Flame Swordsman phone as he got off his six subway train.

"Yeah, man I don't know where else to look. Sorry dude," Tristan commented in defeat. "You think one drug-crazed teenager running around screaming would be easy to find. So far it's like we've been searching for a needle in a haystack."

"We have to think about this. He's got to be in a place that feels safe and not where we expect to look," Tea reported from her phone.

"Safe and unexpected? I got it! I know where he is! Call Mahad and tell him to meet Aziza and me at Doom Alley ASAP!" Yugi instructed him as they took off running to the alley where Yami had first stepped onto this Earth.

"What… gasp… makes… you think… gasp… he'll be there?" Aziza panted as they ran. The normally fit teenager was exhausted. They had been searching for hours and all this running was wearing out her body fast.

"Think about it Aziza! No one goes near Doom Alley even after Yami made it safe! In his fractured state of mind, it's the only logical place for him to go! I can only hope we find him before those Vixens cart him back home!" Yugi shouted as they raced across busy streets and darted in and out among people walking down the streets. He was so concerned for Yami's safety he didn't watch where he was going and tripped over something on the sidewalk. Down he went falling face first on the hard concrete.

"You okay Yugi? You didn't break anything did you?" Aziza asked helping him to his feet. She brushed him off and felt blood oozing from a huge cut on his palm. "Give me your hand. We have to clean this off before it gets infected. Good thing I carry a first aid kit in my backpack," she said as they sat down on a bench. However, before she could get the kit out sparks emanated from her hand and healed the cut. "Okay what just happened?"

"Aziza, you want to tell me how you just magically healed my hand?" Yugi asked in a strangely tight voice. People arriving from unheard of countries, strange items that could hurt a person from far away, and now magical powers from his best friend. What next?

"I don't know Yugi I really don't. Hey, what's that in your other hand? An I-pod? Is this what you trip over…gasp!" Aziza started to say before a vision filled her mind's eye. In her mind, she could actually see the dark alleyway. Garbage was strewn about and on all the walls was a strange green star-like symbol with the word Oricaclious was sprayed on the walls. She let out a shriek as she felt another jolt of pain ravage her body. Gasping loudly she snapped out of the trance. "Your right Yugi, Yami is in Doom Alley and he's in deep trouble. I saw it!"

"You saw it? How could you see anything when you're blind unless you're clairvoyant or something?"

"Well, most of my life I've been clairaudient. I hear the echoes of what once was. Not to mention I've always been sort of empathic and those strange healing abilities are a sure sign something crazy is up. You know I'm wondering if any of this has to do with the story of the Oracle of Xanadu my mothers told me. In the story, the Oracle has tremendous powers and one of its greatest responsibilities is to protect the mystical Hearts of the infinite worlds. Since my brother is supposed to receive the Heart of Xanadu, he must be a mystical heart. I bet I'm supposed to protect him! Well, why are we just sitting here let's go find him and see if my new powers can heal him," Aziza called out as she took off once more with renewed energy?

While Aziza had figure out her part in this story, Yugi was still oblivious to the part he was to play in this story, however, he was soon going to find out what his part was. They reached the Alley and the indeed found Yami in a fetal position in the exact spot where he first came to Earth. He was a mess! Half naked and screaming like a banshee with this look on his face that you never forget ever. The puzzle around his neck was glowing so brightly it nearly blinded them. It looked like he had left a path of destruction in his wake in his demented state of mind.

"Yami! It's me, Yugi! C'mon let me help! Please!" he said as he slowly approached the young prince. Aziza shouted a warning, but he didn't listen to her. The closer he got the more some unseen force was trying to keep him away from his true love. When he was only two feet from Yugi a powerful burst of energy shot out and sent him flying 20 feet in the air!

"Yugi!" cried Aziza who heard him go up and now about to become a pancake. However, Yugi didn't even fall rather he simply floated back to the ground below. He was now glowing with a divine aura of his own! He didn't even seem to notice it as he again tried to reach Yami and whatever hell was thrown in his way he counters with his own magical attack. Aziza then began to assist in any manner she could with her own new powers.

They both after five failed attempts managed to reach him and hold onto him. Despite the pain that shot through their bodies they refused to let go. "Yami, hold on just a bit longer! Mahad will arrive soon and then we can get the cure. Once that done then the Darklight Item will stop hurting you!" Aziza shouted as he sent another blast of energy at them.

"Get away from me you Vixens! I won't let you hurt my friends! Ah, make it stop, make it stop!" Yami shrieked as he started jerking about. He banged his head into the wall leaving a sizeable dent, but still, the pain raked through his body.

"Don't give up this fight Yami! I know the pain is nearly unbearable, but you have to find the strength to go on. All your friends and family are always here for you. Not to mention me! I'm always with you no matter what you're going through. I promise I will never leave you!" Yugi told him as he squeezed Yami's hand tightly.

Mahad had just arrived and was completely lost for words. It's not every day when one is allowed to be in the presences of two Hearts or the mortal incarnation of the Oracle! Still, he managed to knock out the prince and they carried him back to his mother who was waiting with Seto. She had just finished informing him what he had to do. "Thank goodness you found him. Please, we must hurry there isn't much time left!"

They laid Yami out on his mother's bed, then told Aziza and Yugi each to lie on one side of him and to take his hands. They did as they were told and Seto then produces both his Rod and the Acornia Stone. The Stone was a golden crystal shaped in a trapezoid shape with a glowing feather inside it. He released the stone, which hovered over the youths and then spoke an ancient incantation and the crystal released its energy combined with Rod's power was amplified as both Yugi and Aziza fell lifeless.

Samir came in with Solomon at his heels. Shortly afterward the rest of Yami's friends entered the room and gasped at what they saw. Samir and Solomon both looked at their loved ones for a moment and then demanded what the hell was going on! None of the children appeared to move or breathe for that matter. They wanted to understand what was going on!

"Solomon and my beloved husband Samir right now both Yugi and Aziza are now inside Yami's soul trying to rid him of the Darklight eclipsing the light of his heart. It's a rare form of hypnosis. We in a sense have forced a conjuring dream. They are all in Yami's dreams and they must help him defeat the demons threaten to kill him from within and quickly or we'll lose him the same way I lost my mother, Solmina."

Huge tears fell from her beautiful teal at that memory. How she woke up just before her 18th birthday and found her mother in this state. It had been punished for not obeying the laws of marriage and refusing to fork over her daughter to the heir apparent. Her father all but died and was forced to put his beloved wife in a dream gemstone casket and send her to drift endlessly through space. She wasn't really dead more like a living dead still it was the most peaceful solution they could come up with. She wouldn't let the fate of her mother befall her son as well.

All in the room now fell to their knees and began to pray. Even as all the people who'd been looking for Yami came in and fell into prayer. Even Kaibutt surprisingly made the cross across his chest and began to pray for a miracle. No one wanted Yami to die.

Meanwhile, both Yugi and Aziza were now descending into the world that was Yami's inner self. They had to first defeat the demon in his Mind, then Body, then Spirit and rescue his soul from the Shadow that wishes to take it their realm where it is trapped forever!

They had arrived in a labyrinth that made up Yami's mind. They just knew that only one door led to their next location, but they also knew that one of the Vixens dwelled here and she won't let them ruin their plans. So they had to defeat her first then they could go on saving Yami! "Ready to go on?" Aziza asked.

"Yeah, but how do we find the right door that will lead us to Yami's Mind?" Yugi questioned.

"We trust our powers as well as our hearts. Focus your powers and combine it with mine. Hopefully, we can create a guide in this crazy labyrinth," Aziza suggested as they followed her plan. Within seconds a glowing ball of light started guiding them through the maze until they came to a door.

They opened it and Yugi was shocked and Aziza hearing told her there was a young female standing before them and what they desired. The room was a huge room with two doors. The one they came in vanished behind them make the gold door the only way out. With disbelief written on their face, they turned to face the girl once more ready to fight her if she prevents them from rushing to Yami's rescue.

"Hello, Mortals. Are you two prepared to face your doom? The only way I, Oba, will allow you out is if you beat me in a Duel," the youngest Vixen said as she flicked her hair. Clearly, she didn't see them as much as a threat.

"A duel, you're joking, right? Do you know who you're talking to the lady? That boy is the King of Games! Not mention I'm the Champion of the Handicapped Division!" Aziza proclaimed proudly. However, Yugi being able to see could see Oba was talking about something slightly different in mind.

'A Duel with silly playing cards would be a waste of my time and energy. No, we're doing a Duel the way we do it back home in Xanadu! We're doing a Millennium Duel so Little Yugi Moto you ready to die? Because this is one Duel you can't win!" Oba said as the diamond under right eye lit up red as blood and she began to glow. She then viciously attacked him with her magic. A huge burst of power leaped from her hands and hit Yugi straight on.

"Ahh!" screamed Yugi as he flung into the wall. He crumbled to the ground unable to move.

"YUGI!" cried Aziza as she rushed to his side. He was still breathing and she didn't think anything was broken.

Laughing at the pain with great pleasure was Oba. "In this Duel, we duke it out with our magic. This is a fight to the finish whoever has the strongest magic wins. However, since no human has the magic I'll win this fight quickly and Prince Atem will fall. As a bonus sense, your souls are inside his you both will die! Then I and my sister can have Cole/Balthazar all to ourselves till kingdom come!"

While she was busy shooting her mouth off Yugi got his second wind and hit her with a burst of unbelievable magic! "Wrong! This duel just got started and it won't end till the last move is made! And for the record his name is Prince Yami!" he declared. He just trusted his heart as he did with his cards. A faint golden aura surrounded him increasing his powers exponentially.

"What in the name of Xanadu is going on? Humans don't have magical powers!" Oba exclaimed as she started to back away.

"You might want to rethink that. Dark Magic Attack!" Yugi said as his collected powers struck Oba. The Vixen screamed as the powerful attack forced her out of the Prince's Mind all together. The teenager powered down and exited through the door that that magically appeared. They had freed his Mind and were moving onto his Body.

The door opened up to a desert of sorts. How was this a representation of Yami's body they wonder? Both the Heart of Earth and the Oracle continue to walk through the ruins of the barren wasteland till they came to an oasis where Pomona was finishing her death apple. "I don't know how you defeated Oba, but let me assure you cripple you won't defeat me. I'm twice as powerful as my sister. See if you can handle this!" she said snapping her fingers.

The sky became dark and lighting and heavy rain started to fall. Out of nowhere a huge sandstorm with lighting streaked across the desert straight at Aziza. Aziza stood her ground and with a snap of her fingers sent it right back at Pomona forcing the Vixen to ground. "Cute kid really cute, but not enough. You think that you can really beat me with that?"

"No, I plan to drag you out!" Aziza shouted transforming into a cheetah right in front of their eyes. With a huge growl, she pounced on Pomona and with a swipe of her claws, she was gone. Turning back human Aziza turned to her companion. "Come on we've freed his Mind and Body. Now we have to do the same for his Spirit," she told them as they went through another door to Yami's Spirit where the last Vixen awaited them.

Now they found themselves floating in the rainbow heavens from Yugi's dreams. Now they had to face Shakti and she was the worst of the Vixens. She stood in front of them emanating dark power. The way she was sneering told them she felt that victory was already hers. "I'm impressed that a runt of a mortal and defective being made it this far. But no duel will be fought here. You must beat me in a race and I've never lost one yet. My chariot was crafted for me by Zork himself and it shall not fail me. I fail to see how the one made by that putrid Halakti is going to help you. These chariots are powered by our magic. Seeing how much you fools have wasted from your Duels with my sisters you won't even have enough to get two feet to let alone to the gateway to the soul. So say goodbye to Atem and yourself. Because with you both inside him you go with him!" she chortled at the same time as her dark chariot zoomed from the starting gate.

Neither Yugi nor Aziza gave into the illusion of hopelessness that the Vixens were trying to weave into their minds. They wouldn't ever give up ever! They could hear the prayers of their loved ones and they knew in their hearts that they could save Yami. Calling forth the power of all who loved Yami they jumped into the chariot and raced her.

It was a close race and Shakti kept trying to run them over. At the final moment, they pulled out a win forcing the final Vixen to leave and free Yami's Spirit. As they disembarked from the chariot they spied the final door, the one that would lead them to Yami. Racing over they tried to open it.

They were having a hard time getting the door shaped like his Puzzle open. As they kept struggling in vain they heard the Vixens haunted laugh taunting them. They continued to belittle their efforts to save the doomed Prince even though they were expelled from his body. When they managed to get the door open the Vixens followed only wishing to see their faces when they failed.

All this time Yami soul self had been imprisoned in the evilest fashions. His soul was stripped of his clothing; his wings were nothing but bloody stumps with blood staining his whole body. The pale hands of death bound him tight to the black crystal cross that was slowly sinking into the bloody abyss of shadows. The light from his puzzle had all but faded.

"YAMI!" as they both tried in vain to stop the cross from sinking any further into the Shadow Realm. They held back the screams as the deadly shadow magic was now coursing through their bodies. As humans, they were killed almost instantly but they wouldn't leave to save themselves. The mark of friendship burned brightly on their hands as they struggled to undo the binds and free the Prince.

The Vixen was growing impatient for their prize. So then they used the last of their power to strike them with the power of an Atom Bomb! Laughing the whole way as all three souls descended into the Shadow Realm! At last, they had won!

"YES! WE DID IT! WE DID IT! WE DID IT! WE HUH?" the sisters cried as they perform their victory dance. It was cut short as a strange golden light shot out of the Gateway to the Shadow Realm blinding them. When they could see again what they saw shocked them. Three winged beings flew out of the abyss and stared at them. Yami now looked like he was a Pharaoh only with rainbow wings. Yugi looked like a smaller version of him and Aziza looked like the Oracle of the Heart!

"HOW DARE YOU THREE HURT ME LIKE THAT? YOU HAD THE AUDACITY TO TRY AND DAMN MY SOUL TO THE SHADOWS REALM. NO MERCY WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU WHEN WE MEET THE NEXT TIME. FOR NOW, GET THE HELL OUT OF MY SOUL!" Yami bellowed at them as the three of them joined their powers and sent the last remaining essence of those bitches packing.

At Eden, the Darklight Item exploded into a billion piece and sent them flying. All of them lost for words. How was this possible, what power could possibly exist that was stronger then the magic of the Darklight? That how were they supposed to tell the King and still somehow get their reward? This was one conversation they didn't want to have. The only hope for them as if their Mistress, the Cyclops, and the King had a Plan B.

All three teenagers woke up and soon fell into their loved ones embrace. Samira was crying the hardest. Soon everyone was talking and laughing pleased that Yami was going to be okay. He would have to rest for a few days to completely recover his strength, but he should be better by the time his birthday arrived. Still, Samira feared they hadn't heard the last of her ex-husband yet.


	17. Confessions and Sacrifices of the Heart

Confessions and Sacrifices of the Heart

Yami was sleeping peacefully, having his dream of Yugi once more playing through his mind. This time, however, he knew when the dream reached its zenith of happiness he wouldn't lose Yugi to the Shadow Realm. That fear had been purged from him when Yugi and Aziza defeated the Vixens along with the Darklight Item and helped him find the light of his heart to forever banish them away.

Samir had told him something he had all but forgotten after he'd been saved. It was a lesson his grandmother had taught him before she passed away. He hadn't thought about it much at the time what she been telling, yet when they'd saved Yami's soul from a place worse then Hell he immediately recalled his grandmother final words. He shared them with his soon to be son over some jasmine tea.

He had told him that his grandmother life motto was this, "Shine the light from your heart. It will banish fear and evil with its bright light of warmth and love. Remember courage means heart." Yami quickly understood what his real father was telling him. With those wise words the newest addition to his arsenal, he was feeling like he could fulfill the Prophecy and save his people at last. Then he'd have his heart desires. To live forever surrounded by the people who loved him and that he loved in turn. Yugi would be forever his for he knew in his heart that what they had wasn't just make-believe.

The smile on his face showed how he felt unmistakably. If he could live to tell the tale after being a victim of the Darklight Ritual, then he was ready to face this fate. Still, as Samira gazed upon her slumbering son's form she could only be racked with concern for him. She knew it was a real miracle that she hadn't lost her son like she'd lost her mother to the Darklight Item. Yet it only proved how far Aknamkanon was willing to sink to make sure Yami couldn't dethrone him. Nevertheless, a smile found its way on her face at the same time as Yugi unknowingly laid his arms around Yami. They really looked adorable sleeping side by side.

Ever since Sunday, Yami, along with Yugi and Aziza had been inseparable. None of them had been very far from the other. Samira could sense all of their powers were near their zenith. While her son was expecting this the others weren't. It was funny how fate worked every now and then. How fate, destiny, free will, and choice all mixed together in this universe full of possibilities. Still, one thing was clear and that was the morel of the story in the movie "Lady in the Water," meaning not a soul was meant to know who they really were.

Yami had known he was a prince but had learned unknowingly throughout this quest of self-discovery all the different parts that made up who he was. Far more importantly he had, in addition, learning who he wasn't. Yugi still didn't fully understand that he was the Heart of Earth and his powers where just as great as his aibou. Even her daughter Aziza didn't fully understand quite yet her part as the mortal form of the Oracle. All she could hope for that the last night before her son turned 18 didn't end in the Earth being burn to ashes.

None of the characters in this story that was told to her on her forced marriage day to that bastard understood who they were or the significance of their value. She prayed that tonight after all been explained to them, that they could, at last, write the happy ending they so long desired. Life for anyone was both a game as it was a story.

Each soul born into this universe or any for that matter wrote their own unique as well as a breathtaking chronicle that then was added to the tome that held all the universe magnificent stories safe within its pages. She hoped that when this story was finished, that her people story didn't end in a bloody page of tragedy, instead she hoped that it would end in golden letters spelling blissfully "Happily ever after."

Perhaps just once that didn't just have to be a little kid's fairy tale line in their nightly bedtime story. Maybe just this once it could be the people of Xanadu's fate? Had just one fairy tale dream come true? Samira pondered as she gazed at the horizon before her while holding her necklace tightly.

"Mom?" called a voice softly to her. Turning around she saw her son. He was handsomely dressed, but still didn't look a hundred percent. The Ritual had taken a lot out of him and his recovery was going slowly.

"Yami, sweetie you should be in bed. You've been through an ordeal worse then Hell," she told him as she walked over to him and placed a blanket around him. It was a bit unpleasantly cold on that St. Patrick Day morning. He hugged the blanket around his sexy figure tightly. It was as if someone was wrapping up in the arms of a soothing angel.

"This is a really beautiful blanket, Mom. It is soft as the clouds in the heavens and warm as a mother's touch. It's beautiful as the dreams of innocent children and the design embroidered onto it amazing. I love it. It must have cost a pretty penny," he remarked as he continues to gaze at the blanket in awe. It was the colors of the sunset with golden tassels at each corner. Embroider in many different as well as unusual colors where roses, celestial sirens, and charms, with a huge picture of a golden-winged heart of Xanadu in the center. It was extremely lovely without a doubt.

"It was made by your grandmother Solmina, Yami. She made it when she was pregnant with me. It was one of the few possessions I still have of hers. I managed to sneak it to Earth before I left Xanadu for good. I used to lie out on that blanket and gaze up at the heavens and dream the day away," pausing for a moment to remember her mother one the fallen heroes of Xanadu. She wanted her son to understand that a true miracle had happened to him.

"Yami you don't realize how blessed you are to be standing at this very moment. Your grandmother was the only other victim of that sick ritual. Your grandfather and I never got over how she was stolen from us in such a detestable in addition to malicious manner. All because she was trying to save me from the fate I still ended up enduring," Samira told him in a heartbreaking tone.

Yami now looked at the blanket with new eyes. This magnificent blanket had been woven by his grandmother? He closed his beautiful eyes of melted amethyst and tried to evoke an image of her. He almost immediately saw in his mind how she worked long and hard in painstaking amounts of time to weave into the threads her love to protect her unborn child. This was an extremely special blanket and he'd make sure it was never ruined ever!

"Mom, I love you. But I've got to go now. I promised I tell Yugi the whole story today and I can't break that promise. I swear I'll be home and tomorrow after I've fully Ascend I will beat that son of a bitch back to the Shadow Realm where he along with all the other monsters belong!" Yami vowed to his beloved mother.

Hugging him tightly she let her tears run down his face. He still hadn't cried or bled once yet. He would like too more then anything, but still, even after all he'd gained since arriving on this planet, he was still not capable to do that. They held each other tightly not wanting to be separated once more.

"I love you, my son. Go tell your aibou all that is in your heart. Share with him and your sister all that you're willing to give for them and this world. But be safe, Yami. I can't lose you again or I'll die right on the spot. I don't want to be made to wait in Heaven for you after 14 years already been stolen from us. I want you here with me. I missed so much of your life already and I don't wish to be deprived of the rest of it. So please in the name of the Heart of Xanadu be safe," she told him as she kissed his forehead.

"I will Mommy, I will. I love you so much and just so you know. You're my hero and my wish for you Mom is that we can live together happily in this wonderful life. I love that song too. I never thought I hear anyone sing it more beautifully then Rascal Flats themselves but you did magnificently that night," he told proudly at the same time as he kissed her forehead in turn and left to tell Yugi everything!

Yugi just got off the phone with Joey. He and the rest of the gang were at Kaibutt's Duel Monster Duel Club getting things ready for Yami's surprise birthday party tomorrow. He was reminding them to be at Lovers Horizons at sundown that day for whatever surprise Yami had in store for them. When Yami came in he quickly said good-bye and left with Aziza and Yami unaware what was about to happen would change his life forever.

The three of them raced off happily to this sacred spot of love. Aziza was overjoyed that soon all of Yami's dreams would come true. She could tell that both Yugi and Yami were holding the hands of the other as they raced to the spot he'd chosen to confess everything. Her sharp hearing was picking up a very special sound coming from them as they raced faster.

While the two Hearts of both Xanadu and Earth held hands in blissful love, the hearts beating in their chest now beat in tune with one another as their heart's song start to slowly intertwine and produced a beautiful new song. The song was the one from both of their dreams in fact. It was the most beautiful song you've ever heard even your dreams never held this beautiful of a song.

Both were singing yet another Disney song they both liked in their heads. Just like the last time the held hands on that magical moonlit walk last Saturday this song now playing in their minds was from a sequel as well. This time it wasn't from "Lady and the Tramp 2 Scamp's Adventure," No this was from "Brother Bear 2," it was called "It Feels Like Home," They both unknowing began to sing the beautiful song in their minds as they made the journey that would lead them to their home. Their home was in the other's heart forever and always.

Yugi started off first as they reached the first intersection they had to cross to get to the desired location. "Funny how it turns out everything can change, what I feel right now is not the same as yesterday,"

Yami looked at Yugi as they hurried across the street he was singing in his mind, "There's more then I imaged deep inside my heart, emotions I never knew and this is just the start,"

"So many things I've been missing not watching, but that was all in the past! Now I realize! There is so much more to learn! I'm ready for the world not scared of letting go! Now I realize there so much more to feel! And my heart knows it real. The part of me so long forgotten is calling and this feels like home, home this feels like home! Feels just like home!" Both of them thought as they hurried up the dirt path laughing with Aziza just on their heels.

"Right from the start been friends forever!" Yugi thought as Yami helped him and Aziza over a fallen log. "But somehow we're meant to be together," Yami thought as he did a flip off the log and they continue up the steep incline.

"I've felt like you've shown me how to find my way home! Find my way home! Now I realize there is so much more to learn! I'm ready for the world not scared of letting go! Now I realize there so much more to feel! And my heart knows it real. The part of me so long forgotten is calling and this feels like home, home. This feels like home!"

"NOW I REALIZE THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO LEARN! I'M READY FOR THE WORLD NOT SCARED OF LETTING GO! NOW I REALIZE THERE SO MUCH MORE TO FEEL! AND MY HEART KNOWS IT REAL! THE PART OF ME SO LONG FORGOTTEN IS CALLING AND THIS FEELS LIKE HOME, HOME. THIS FEELS LIKE HOME!" as the trio finally reached their desired location, Lovers Horizon and just in time to watch the sunrise. Even if Aziza couldn't see if she could feel it just the same.

Lovers Horizon was a cliff that overlooked the whole city of Domino. It seemed no matter what time of the year or the weather this place was eternal blessed to look like the first day of spring. The grass was soft as a mother soothing touch and more green then a first-time duelist. The cherry blossoms were forever in bloom with the most beautiful shade of pink in all of their blooms. All around them the most beautiful red roses you've ever laid eyes on. It was truly the perfect romantic spot in the whole city.

Each of them each one way or another watch the golden sky fire orb ascends into the heavens. How are sweet sunrays shined their radiant beams of hope onto the beautiful city below them? It was so perfect.

Perfect? That word had new meaning to Yami after all that had happened. He knew that all living beings weren't ever going to be perfect. People whether they be immortal or mortal just had to live each day and do the best they could. Also, every world had its problems and it might not ever happen that all of them would be resolved. So, in fact, nothing in this universe or any was ever really perfect. For the simple reason, that perfect was an illusion. Not even God could possibly be perfect as Faith had told him before she passed. No what really perfection was simply doing your best and being happy how things were at that moment in time.

He gazed into his sister sightless eyes and she nodded. It was time, time to tell his aibou the truth all of it. He wasn't afraid anymore. Yugi had put his soul on the line for him even after he hadn't told him that he was a prince. It was clear that Yugi loved him for him and he been waiting so long to tell him.

Aziza, on the other hand, was getting extremely impatience with their pace in things. There were a lot of things she learned to not aggravate her as much as they had in the past. Such as the idiots and bitches at school, the faceless navies who insulted her online. People who mocked her for her blindness and those infuriating therapist has been a drag to see most of her life due to her bi-polar. But there was one thing she never really learned not to get aggravated and blow her stack at. That was how long and hard it was for boys to say "I love you." It just drove her around the bend and then some. It didn't matter to her if the boys in questions where from her favorite TV shows, books, and movies anything! It just drove her nuts. It didn't seem that hard to her at all. She'd been starting to believe she get her to wish to hear the Ninja Turtles tell their father, Master Splinter, that they loved him before these two got down to lip-locking! Gezze even Danny and Sam finally kissed for real! And that was with a giant asteroid going to 86's the planet too! Even Robin and Starfire finally did it and that was with a mob going to kill the writers if they didn't do it soon.

"Boys! Is really just me or does any person with testosterone lack the ability to act upon their hearts? Is it really that hard to say I love you? Or is it just against their DNA? Ugh!" Aziza vented in a muttering tone of voice at the two Hearts before her. She loved them both so much, yet she was fed up with how men just lacked in the love department.

Yami sensing his sister was going to find a way to kill him if he didn't hurry up sat Yugi down on the bench. "Yugi I want to once again thank you for saving my life," he started to say before Yugi interrupt him.

"Yami I do anything for you. You're the best thing in my life. I would gladly sacrifice everything even my life for you. That's how much I care for you. You've saved me in every way a person can be saved. I can't even really remember what life was like before this. Before you," Yugi confessed to him as he bit his lip with Yami mimicking him.

They both gazed into the pools of loving amethyst and said at the same time, "I love you!" Then both blushed as red as the roses around them. But just smiled and fell into the other's arms.

Yugi wants to kiss him at that moment but the look on his aibou face showed he had a lot more to tell him then he first thought. "Yugi I do love you. More then anything in this universe, even more, the air I breathe. It's because I love you that I wish to give up something very important. I can't make this sacrifice unless you know how much I willing to give up for you, Aziza and this entire world," he told him in a serious tone that didn't fit him too well.

"You're going to abdicate the throne? You're mother told me you're a prince and your country is on the verge of civil war. That your real name is Atem but you rather be called by the name your mother gave you. Yami no matter what you're going, no matter what the problem is I'll be there to help you. The moon and stars would've to give up the heavens before I abandon you, my aibou."

"Yugi, my brother's past is a lot more complex then you realize. Sunday alone should've been able to tell you that. It wasn't a dream my friend. You've known in your own heart that your different from the rest of humanity as I've. We didn't image those magic powers and you're going to want to sit down for the rest of the story, trust me it's a real doozey," Aziza calmly explained to the young boy. He did as he was told and wondered what more could he be shocked with?

"Thank you, Aziza."

'No problem."

Yami took a deep breath. There was no going back now. He has been 18 at 10:30 A.M. tomorrow and he is fully Ascended and he would've had to face both his 'father' and his destiny. A destiny that had been foretold on the day the world from which his people came had ended. He felt he understood what the Oracle had been trying to tell his mom. He understood why the Oracle had chosen to be reborn in his sister soul. He also understood why Yugi was The Heart of the Earth.

"Yugi Moto, as I said I love you so much. Now the story I'm about to tell you may seem to be unreal at times but every word of its true. This is the story of my world, the Legend of Xanadu," he began as his Puzzle glow and a huge magical hologram showed the world that Yugi only seen in his dreams.

Yugi was lost for words for a few moments. Aziza took a seat on the bench as well and held his hand. Yami began to beautiful narrator his world and its people history.

"Long time ago before even the Earth and its universe came into existences there was another universe, the Xanadu Universe. It was truly a paradise full of beautiful immortal winged beings knows as Divine Beings. They lived in bliss and happiness in this beautiful thriving utopia. For a long time, Divine Beings were satisfied. All the evils we know of today didn't exist," as the Golden Age of Xanadu played before Yugi's eyes and he realized that this is what he'd been dreaming of. But why? Why would he dream of this place and why did that Star-Heart thing keep calling out to him?

"The source of all the magic and life in this world was the Heart of Xanadu. It bestowed many wonderful gifts to all its children and those of royal lineage had an aibou like the relationship with the Heart. It was no ordinary Heart for it was just as alive as you or I. That is why it's so strange when Shadow Age descended upon the Xanadu Universe," as the image showed the world slowly becoming engulfed into chaos and pandemonium.

"Why? Why did a whole thriving society begin to start a self-induce genocide? What brought these horrible immoral acts into this world?" demanded Yugi as he saw something so horrible he knew he wouldn't forget it even in his grave. This was so bad even if it was just a magical hologram he could feel it as if was there. The rotting flesh, the nightmare screams the panic and chaos all of it!

"The same evil reasons of this planet had now taken root within the souls of my people. The seeds of evil became rooted deep within them, as time passed the seeds sprouted into thick weeds choking them from within till their hearts had been killed. This corruption of the hearts of the Xanduaions spread like a plague and escalated to do our abilities till we killed ourselves until all that remained of Xanadu was one huge scene of carnage. When you have amazing power and you crave more this is what you get the whole universe fell and ceased to continue living. The only handful of survivors remained after that Xanadu fell. Thus they survivors began a long odyssey to this world," Yami continued to explain and showed them arriving in this world.

"We met the Divine Beasts or as you have known them as Duel Monsters," Yami informed as Yugi eyes bugged out big time. Duel Monster where real? Yami lived with real Duel Monsters? No wonder he was so good when it came to Dueling! Yugi still had overlooked the obvious fact about Yami. He wasn't stupid by far but it was a classic combination of simply too much information to process at once and that common sense never worked when it was supposed too.

"My mother who'd been a force to marry, my sire against her will due to the absurd laws of my culture suffered more then anyone knew. Like me, she suffered having Aknamkanon abusing her day in and day out. But as much he hit her as he hit me she couldn't cry or bleed nor could I," he started to explain when Yugi interrupted again.

'Not cry or bleed? But she cried when she saw you for the first time! I don't understand, what do you mean by that, Yami? That you've never cried or bled in your life?"

"You probably would if you let him finish his story, Yugi," Aziza told him with a light slap on his adorable head. Not really hard enough to doing other then makes his blond bangs jiggle but he got her point. So he let Yami finish telling him his story.

"Shortly after the current city of Xanadu was erected, Aknamkanon wanted to have my mother give him an heir. She refused knowing he only wanted to use me as a tool and not love me as a son. Mom refused to give birth to a child that'd be forced into this false world he was creating. His threats didn't scare her even as his fury grew more intense. It was shortly after Camille was expecting Serafina, my betrothed he came to a sick decision," he saw Yugi was glued to his seat with this, "My mother was beaten senseless and then raped. I'm a son of marital rape. Things continue to slide further downhill from the time I was born. Mom almost immediately realized she needed to get herself and me out. She came here and met my real father you know that story. However, the night she tried to leave with me went terrible aware. She was mercilessly attacked by my cousin Seto's sire Aknadin, my sire, and in addition to Camille."

"Aknadin is just as evil if not worse at times then my false father. He a greedy pig no matter if its candy or power he's greed has no end. He loves fire and plays with it often and is very much a demon in his own right. Camille? She, in fact, can be worse then both of them! She is a bitch who can't make up her conniving mind how she wants to look and is more insane then Hexadecimal ever was! Camille loves to break people and throws a lot of tantrums and is a known drinker. She is deadly as a black widow and vicious as a cobra. Not what one wants in a mother-in-law, let me be perfectly clear on that! It is she who commands the deadly trio of Vixens with an iron fist."

"Mom had drugged me unknowingly so I wouldn't make a sound as she attempted to get me and herself to freedom. My life was the one she was more worried about because of a Prophecy told to her before the Xanadu Universe fell. It's what's written on her studio door. I've been trying to figure it out and now I understand what it means," Yami said as he was slowly taking off his leather coat.

"Yami?" Yugi asked unsure what was going on. He didn't understand at all what was going on. He wasn't ready at all for what he was about to see. His heartbeat quicken with each breath that escaped his angelic lips. His loving eyes gazed at his aibou in silent wonder.

"Yugi before I turn 18 tomorrow and face my destiny I want you to know who and what I am," as the jacket fell to the grass with a loud thud. He removed the magical harness, throwing it away over the side of the cliff. With one final deep breath, he displayed his beautiful rainbow-colored wings. The glowed even more brightly the usual in the early sunlight. A bright golden aura surrounded his entire body and his puzzle shone intensely. He was the most beautiful thing Yugi eyes had ever laid eyes on!

'Yami?!" was all Yugi could say as Yami hung his head for a moment, "I'm not human Yugi. I'm an immortal prince from another world, a Divine Being. The land of my birth Xanadu isn't an unknown country. It is a godlike flouting metropolis! It's hidden away from Earth high in the celestial heavens. A floating hell which many souls, no longer wish to be forced to live in. Like me they decided they rather give up their immortality and have a real life then live forever in that half-life lie that they've to endure for so long," he explained as he allowed Yugi to touch his wings. He smiled seeing how Yugi wasn't rejecting him. The young boy was far more curious then he was afraid of him. That felt more comforting then he if flat-out mocked or hated him. This was a good sign a very good one indeed.

"Is it because your immortal you can't cry or bleed? Since Xanadu isn't on Earth it also explains your lack of knowledge as well. Can you do magic as well? Is that what your Puzzle for?" he asked speaking a mile a minute. Aziza herself although she knew of the wings still felt the irresistible urge to feel them. So she was also stroking them gently.

"Yes my wings bestow the gifts of great magic in addition to immortality at the same time, they make it impossible to cry or bleed. My Puzzle does help me with my magic yet it didn't give me a warning when it came to my Ascending. Yet no Immortal Object can do that even if it will help us thorough Ascending at times," Yami explained to Yugi who was about to ask what the hell Ascending was when Yami continue. "All this madness that been going on since my second day of high school is a result of my Ascending. Ascending means my powers are nearing their zenith and are growing exponential. Basically, it's Divine Puberty, Yugi," Yami chuckled embarrassedly with bright red cheeks.

"You mean to say all this weird and wonderful as well as out of the ordinary inexplicable phenomenon is because you're going through puberty?" he stated in skepticism then joked, "I thought the worst thing a teenager had to deal with was acne! This by far takes the cake!" All of them laughed at that as Yami continues to explain everything to his aibou.

"Yes, I've been listening to so much music and taken my own painkillers to keep it under control. But when I'm with you two I feel like I don't need that stuff at all. Yugi please say something," Yami begged him at the same time as he gave Yugi a certain look. Yami looked at him with a look that greatly resembles how sad Puss in Boots from Shrek did. It was cute even sexy given how naturally sexy both Yami and Yugi were anyway.

"Please don't try any sucker tactics, Yami. You too good for that brother," Aziza whispered to him as she flicked his earring.

"It's ok, Aziza I like it. Yami I love you! I could care less if you're an immortal winged prince or a spirit of a nameless pharaoh or just some bum on the street. I love you for you and that won't ever change!" told him from the bottom of his golden heart.

For a moment no one spoke then Yami hoisted him onto his back and then swept up his sister in bridal fashion. "What's going on?" Yugi inquired nervously as Yami was now balancing on the thin metal rail on the edge of the cliff.

"Yeah, Yami what's going on in that bird brain of yours?" Aziza asked in a slight panic. She knew Yami was going to tell Yugi the whole truth but this wasn't part of the agenda she got!

"You've shown me your world, so now let me show you mine. I know my aibou that you are sincere on how much you along with all the rest of our friends with how much you sacrifice for me. Now allow me to show you what I'm going to willing give up! Hold on tight and don't look down!" he said as he dived bombed off the railing and they plummet to the city below.

You couldn't tell who was screaming louder Yugi or Aziza. It was a surprise that they didn't scream themselves hoarse from all of the screamings. Yami was just smiling and wait till the last moment possible. Then he opened his wings and they shot high in the sky.

"You can open your eyes Yugi. I won't let you fall. Check out how your city looks from the air! Look it so beautiful and all the hearts of its inhabitants singing so happily. This is truly blissful indeed!" he told him as Yugi opened one of his huge adorable eyes and saw how true Yami's words were. Even the lushes' obsidian sea before them was very elegantly dotted with a billion goldish red sparkles dancing merrily on its smooth surface.

Aziza loved hearing all the new sounds from the air and was just as blown away by this. She was giggling happily as they hit the water and walked on it! Yugi watched as water and light became one and they shoot through a funnel of rainbow water lights high into the magenta and lavender clouds.

"This is amazing!" both said at the same time. Yami eyes twinkled he was just getting started. "This is nothing! We're going up and away so hang on!" he informed him as they prepared to leave the Earth all together!

"Yami! We can't breathe in space!" Yugi cried when he realized what his aibou objective was. Aziza nodded in agreement. Yami, however, wasn't worried. He busted through the atmosphere no problem. He was now in the endless ebony blanket of space. He hovered for a moment and said at the top of his dreamy voice. "Yugi, Aziza let go of me now. Let your own wings carry now, on the celestial winds," Yami instructed them calmly.

Yugi then realized he was just fine. He was once more in his ultimate form! He had wings and a divine aura just like Yami! So did Aziza! All of them looked like they'd when they sent those bitchy Vixens packing! With one small change, Yami calmly went over to Aziza who was still wearing her standard dark sunglasses and little by little removed them from her eye-catching features.

"Aziza, please gaze at me your loving brother along with Yugi your most precious friend," he said as he stroked her pretty face reassuringly. She bit by bit opened her eyes and gasped. Her normal milky white eyes now looked like the colors of the sunset! She could see and she saw the two most smoking sexy guys ever before her! A single bead of moisture descended from her face to show how happy she was.

"Yami this is amazing! I can see you! I can see you and Yugi!" she said as she hugged them tightly. "It's only for as long as the sun in the sky today. Come let me show my world!" as he took off flying while doing a lot of fancy mid-air tricks.

"He's so showing off, C'mon Aziza!" smiled Yugi as they took off to catch him.

"I still believe" by Hayden Panettiere aka Claire Bennett of Heroes. Save the Cheerleader save the world! LOL! Couldn't resist is now playing.

The two Hearts along with the Oracle spent the most amazing day together. Watching daybreak over the Earth, ice skating on the moon, getting candy from the core of the Sun, playing in the snow on Mars! Racing from one end of the solar system to the other and back, watching the birth of a star and making a wish on shooting stars while holding them in the palm of their hands! They then rode bareback wild Comet Stallions, singing along with the Celestial Sirens, just fooling around with their magic at the same time as they chew the fat with the constellations. Seeing the whole universe from above it was just mind-blowing!

They, at last, came to put their feet up at Harmony Bridge. It was the precise spot; Yami had been so long ago just before this whole adventure had started. The last time he was here, he'd hope to dream of his mother. Now he'd at his fingertips something far better then any daydream. He gazed contentedly around him enjoying what he saw very much. To the right was the Earth, above them danced the most beautiful Northern Lights show ever mixed with happy giggles of shooting stars. The only thing he found disdainful in the whole landscape was the fact he once more could see Xanadu which was on his left. He'd secretly hoped for so many nights, that he'd never have to gaze his attractive amethyst eyes, the eyes of his malevolent sire, at that hellhole ever again. Despite the fact, he knew he had to return to save his people he still wished it just the same.

While both Yugi and Aziza where swapping their versions on this day, he bit his lip. He knew he had to say this right here and now. It was almost, sunset and they had to return to Earth and tell the rest of his human friends the truth. He was also expecting Mahad and the rest of the Court to be ready as well. No one really knew what was going to happen for sure tomorrow, but it was important they stick together!

"Yugi, Aziza! Come here for a moment. I've to show something," he called to them softly. They came over and followed his gaze and saw Xanadu. There was no question that had to be Xanadu before them. It was a big surprise that something that gigantic as well as ostentatious didn't show up on a satellite. On the other hand, considering they had the magic it wasn't too hard to accept.

"That was your prison?" asked Yugi as he looked at it in wonder. He could hear even this far away with his heart the suffering of the souls trapped inside. His divine aura grew bright and he felt his powers grow to the more he thought about this unjust before his eyes.

Aziza was also experiencing the same thing and she for her one day worth of sight didn't like seeing just how many innocent lives had been senselessly slaughter. They didn't need to venture into Xanadu they could see and feel all the hell from where they stood it was that strong. Like a tidal wave of overwhelming malevolence hitting them head-on.

They all for a moment shared a vision of some kinda shadow crown and countless screams of pain filled their hearts In the vision he felt as bloody three inch thorns were being driven into their skulls forcedly as that sick feeling from the Darklight began to slowly course it way through their bodies causing them to go numb and lifeless. They were all a bit shaken up by that haunting vision but it only made their desire stronger to save Xanadu.

"This anguish has gone on long enough. I don't know how, but Yami all of us will help you set free the innocent souls still trapped in the beautified hell! I promise you that in my life!" Aziza informed her brother her hands were clutched tightly into white fists.

"You can count on me and all of our friends, Yami. Know that you don't have to do this alone. You're never alone when you've people who care about you. I won't let your people suffer anymore. You've been a great friend to me Yami, and I love you so much that I'll help in any way I can. Fate played a part in this. It wasn't just chance you and I meet and you took my heart," Yugi said with his cheeks flushing.

"No, it wasn't Little One. It certainly wasn't, fate indeed wants us to meet. They wanted the Heart of the Earth to help the Heart of Xanadu by creating a new song. So that they could save what remained of Xanadu and then help save Earth as well," Yami said as he turned and faced Yugi.

He then folded his wings over the young angel soothingly. He then began to fondle his face and hair affectionately. "Yugi, I never knew what love was till I met you. You've always been there for me. I didn't realize it till you and Aziza saved me from the Darklight Ritual. I know what true love is now. I understand what is important in life is people. All things in life can be replaced but never a life. And a life without love is no life at all. I've fallen helplessly hopelessly breathlessly in love with you. You are the reason my heart is beating and I want you to know this. No matter what happens I will always love you Yugi Moto. I Yami will always love you. The song that our hearts makes when they beat as one is the most beautiful thing I've heard and I know it will help me. From this moment on you and I are one now and forever," he vowed as they finally locked lips!

Aziza smiled at the sight glad that she'd gotten to see this with her one day worth of sight. She didn't want her blindness fixed because there was nothing wrong with her. She accepted herself as she was. Her strengths, weakness, flaws, everything. She didn't need to fix something that wasn't broken. She firmly believed people shouldn't needlessly try and 'fix' what wasn't broken, nor should the try to assimilate them into another image of what they found 'normal." There was no real normal anymore then there was perfect. She believed it was wrong to change yourself to make others happy or accept you.

That was her problem with X3. That whole 'cure' was just a coward excuse out. If you took it meant you were ashamed of who you were. The only way things change, and racial discrimination in addition to ignorance will end is if people stand their ground and start wising up. You may be scared, however, if you could face danger then you're a hero, not a coward.

It also annoyed her that people who had money to burn needless changed themselves. She couldn't figure out why some women cared so much about their breast. Bigger wasn't better it was a pain! Besides who really cared about the outside but stupid and shallow people anyway? In less you really need to fix yourself she didn't believe you should.

That is why she wasn't going to use her newfound magic or get an operation. She didn't really need it for she was happy with who she was and didn't need to fix anything. So she just enjoyed as her brother and her best friend continued to kiss by the book. It amused her to think this was how she'd been described when Goliath was being intendment with Demona or Elisa on her "Gargoyles" DVDs. She wished to high heavens that they produce the rest of the second seasons. It was rather sweet and she enjoyed every minute of the show.

"Already, that's enough you two! Save some for later, let's get going you knuckleheads! We still have a lot more people, to tell the truth too! We also need to figure out how we going to send those bitches and their masters packing for good! So let's go!"

"Aziza you do realize once we reach Earth, you'll once again be sightless?" her brother asked concerned. He'd want her to see him just once but he didn't want to break her heart either. Aziza just smiled warmly, and then kissed his cheek as well as Yugi.

"I've gotten my wish. To see you both smiling at me as well as to see you both happy. That's all I need to see. I don't need to see anything else, with my eyes that I've already seen with my heart. Don't worry brother I'll be fine! C'mon let's go home and then win this fight, shall we?"

The three of them hugged tightly and with final gaze at the magnificent and breath-stealing universe flew back to Earth to share the story with the rest of their loved ones. Yet none of them knew that they're being followed by an ominous looking shadow smoke. Three pairs of sinister eyes all narrowed on the trio of young teens as they descend upon the planet Earth.

In the meantime, everyone else was getting extremely anxious waiting. Everyone was at the prearranged location. They'd been up since 5 in the morning getting what remained for Yami's surprise birthday party done. So it was understandable that each of them was exhausted and hungry. The Court had shown up as well. Each was doing something to kill the remaining time that was dragging on around. Seto was chatting with Kaiba, Mana along with Duke was having a make-out session. Mahad and his lovely wife just cuddled up under the trees in silent happiness.

"Okay! This is getting ridicule! We've been waiting for 45 minutes! I mean where are they already?" demanded Joey as he continued to brush Mai golden tresses. She was purring like a kitten.

"Normally I never agree with you Wheeler but they are taking there sweet time. What is the guy waiting for anyway? Does he want to make a dramatic entrance?" asked Kaiba who was also very irritated as well.

"I think you children need to learn some more patience. They said they'd be here at sundown and I believe they'll keep their word," Grandpa spoke kindly as he nibbled on some Kisses he brought along.

"Let's us hope that the Prince is alright. With his birthday so close I fear for him greatly," spoke Isis in a worried tone.

"Well, I don't think you've to worry any longer, Mrs. Magician. Because here they come right now!" Tea shouted loudly pointing to the skies. Every single one of them was lost for words. They simply watched in wonder as Yami showed off a few more moves with his aibou and sister before they landed back on the cliff.

When Yugi and Aziza touched down their divinity vanished, yet Yami stood before his friends as his true self. He was smiling confidently, "Hello everyone. How have you're day been? Mine has been one of the best days of my life!"

No one said anything. They'd all lost their ability to verbalize; move about, even their breath was almost stilled. They didn't know what to say or do. They just looked at Yami in shocked to see those wings!

"Guys don't look at me like that. It's very rude and unbecoming. I'm still the same guy you've known for three months. I'm not any different. I just got wings but they'll soon be gone. Please I'm still the Yami you know and nothing changes that!" he assured them as they all continued to be lost for words.

Finally, Rebecca walked up to him and hugged him. "You're even cuter with the wings! This is so cool!"

In next to no time everyone knew the truth through the Court and Yami using something called the Millennium Mind Link. Meaning the Eye Emblem glowed on their forehead and transferred all their memories along with their feelings directly into the souls they chose. Though it was a great deal to swallow at once and even understand none of them rejected the Court or Yami. They'll be enthusiastic to be of assistance to him in any way they could. None of them were aware they'd already helped him a great deal. More then Yami or they realized.

All of sudden the moment of tranquility and hopeful was shattered! Mahad was screaming bloody murder as he fell to the ground twisted up in an odd position.

"Daddy!"

"Mahado!"

Everyone looked and saw in horror that a Shadow Crown was now trying to fuse itself on to the great mage's forehead. But he was fighting it with all he had and some. "HE HERE!" That one sentence was enough to make your blood run as cold the waters of the Arctic Sea. Before anyone could react all hell broke loose!

A huge explosion of magic power blew everyone every direction you could think of! The ideal place that had been a sanctuary of love was no more. It now was nothing but smoldering ashes with three heartless souls standing in the center of it.

"Father!" was all Yami could say as in hover in midair. His eyes frantically searched to see if everyone was ok. It was very obvious that everything wasn't ok nor where the lives of his friends.

Hanging on for dear life on the twisted remains of the rail where Mokuba, Serenity, and Grandpa! Duke along with Tristan was unconscious and was tangled up in the remains of a cherry tree still smoldering with blue flames! Tea, Kisara, and Rebecca were relatively unharmed hidden behind the some of the rose's bushes out of the Trio line of sight. All of his friends that were Duelists were near the edge of the path. Their duel disks all glowing as where their decks. The Court was all in extreme pain and anguish as the Shadow Crowns dug deeper into them. They couldn't help fight the Trio if they're using what power they did have to hold off the evil power of those Crowns. Wakana was crawling over towards them to help while Arthur went to rescue Tristan and Duke. He didn't know where Yugi or Aziza where at all!

Yami watched in horror as his father gazed his ominous eye at the world around him. He looked right at him into his soul and said the fatal words in a deathlike composed tone of voice "Kill them all."

"Gladly brother," Aknadin sneered as his deadly blue phoenix erupted from his chest with the song of death emanating from its beak. It soared into the air before dive bombing the Duelists.

"Thought you would never ask! My Vixens it's time to party!" Camille chortled as she has begun to spin around with the force of an F5 wind tunnel. When she was done she had splint into all 16 versions of herself! She and the Vixens who had detached themselves from the shadows were hell-bent on their own vengeance and still wanted their reward! With an evil laugh, they pounced.

"We got to hold them off somehow. Use your Duel Monsters! Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon Attack!" Kaiba commanded summoning his most powerful monster. The awesome beast screeched loudly before attacking the evil phoenix with all its might. When it let loose a roar of pain as the phoenix's talons raked it Kaiba grabbed his chest in response. "Be careful the attacks on your creatures are reflected back on you!"

"Thanks for the warning Kaiba! Flame Swordsman attack that bunch of crazy ladies!" Joey ordered relaying on his trusted friend to save him from five Camille duplicates.

"I handled the Vixens. Go Harpy Ladies! Use your Rose Whip, Feather Duster, and Cyber Shield attacks!" Mai shouted. Three Harpy Ladies appeared in the air and immediately went after the attacking Vixens. Mai winced as she felt her monsters pain as it was transferred to her.

"Change of Heart see if you can persuade some of these ladies to leave us alone!" Bakura cried out as he unleashed the power of his favorite card. He watched helplessly as his card was attacked viciously again and again.

Meanwhile, Rebecca was using that big head of hers. "Grandpa, Serenity, and Mokuba won't last much longer if you don't pull them up. I'll distract the big guy with my Shadow Ghoul while you rescue them. Once they're safe to see if you, my Grandfather, Tristan, Duke, and Wakana have any luck getting those torture devices off our friends head okay?"

"Alright, but be careful. Those guys mean business!" Kisara told her as the two girls took off running towards the cliff edge as fast as they could. Aknamkanon saw them and turned his attention towards them. He raised his Staff intent on obliterating them when out of nowhere the Shadow Ghoul blocked the attack. "Come on ugly let's see how you stand up to a certified genius!"

"I sure hope Rebecca knows what she's doing!" Kisara panted as they reached the ledge.

"I just hope Yugi and Aziza are okay. I haven't seen them since the explosion. You guys okay down there?" Tea called out as she assessed the situation.

"We're a little worse for wear, but okay otherwise," Grandpa called back.

"What's going on? Who are those crazy people attacking us and is my big brother okay?" Mokuba demanded as he struggled to hold onto Grandpa Pant's leg.

"Can we get the answers to that question later? Right now we're about to fall and we need help getting up!" Serenity shrieked from her position. Her eyes were filled with fear as she gazed at the ground far down.

"Hold on will pull you up. Kisara grabs my ankles and lowers me down. When I tell you to start pulling me up. Okay, here we go," Tea said nervously as she was lowered towards the victims. Inch by inch Kisara lowered the dancer closer to their friends. Finally, she was close enough for Grandpa to grab on. "Pull us up fast!"

"I'm trying, but you're too heavy! I don't know if I have the strength to pull you all up!" Kisara grunted as she struggled. Digging deep inside herself she tried to reach the dragon strength Kaiba always joked she had. With a burst of energy, she pulled them all up. They had just reached the safety of the ledge when Serenity slipped and fell!

"HELP MEEEEEEEEEE!" Serenity screamed as she fell towards certain doom. She closed her eyes imagining the end when she felt something break her fall. Opening her eyes she saw two creatures had a hold of her. Tea's Magician of Faith and Kisara's Blue Eye's Shining Dragon brought the stunned girl to safety. "Thank you! Thank you so much I thought I was dead for sure."

"Good thing my brother gave you that card Kisara otherwise things could have ended up a lot worse," Mokuba remarked.

"Most boyfriends on your six month anniversary take you out for a night on the town. Mine gave me a one-of-kind Duel Monsters Card. Go Figure?! Now does anyone have a clue where Yugi, Aziza or Yami are in all this chaos?" Kisara inquired frantically as they hulled their butts trying to escape from being barbecued.

"Right now our biggest concern should be defeating those evil people. I think our only chance is if the Court gets involved, but they can't with those blasted crowns on them," Grandpa remarked as they raced over to help the others with the Court.

"Man these things are stuck on tight! I won't give up Isis until your free I promise!" Wakana told her struggling against the dark energy lashing out at her as she tugged with all her might to remove the deadly contraption.

"Please hurry, I can barely feel my magic anymore," Isis whimpered.

"I'm not leaving until your free Mana. You can count on that ahh!" Duke screamed as he managed to move the crown a fraction of an inch from his beloved's pretty head.

"DUKE! Please be careful! Ah oh, Mommy Daddy please help!" Mana cried out. Never in her short life did she want to shed tears more then now. Even more then the time when she had witnessed her father lied to save her life so long ago. Now she wanted to feel tears not just in her heart but on her face!

"Are you sure you can't use your Rod doohickey to help me out here Seth?" Tristan demanded as he started tugging the crown upward to try and slip it off Seto's head.

"Even if I could concentrate on using my Items power I'm too weak. Please, Tristan, you have to free us so we can help Yami!" Seto told him desperately.

"I'm more of a scholar then a fighter, but right now I wish I wasn't. This thing is jammed on tight," remarked Arthur as he made little headway with getting the evil device off his friend's skull.

"You can't give up my friend. I can feel the crown's power weakening," Mahad whispered. He was ready to pass out from all the pain.

Yami observed this all from the air as he hovered out of reach. All of his friends were getting hurt because of him. What was really killing him is he couldn't see Yugi or Aziza anywhere. Where could they be? He gasped suddenly when he saw them. They had been thrown clear of the battle, but where now charging head on straight for his father ready to use their powers against him. They'd all be killed if he didn't do something!

He didn't know what to do too. He flew fast to stop his father's attack on them but didn't realize it was a trap for him! Aziza acute hearing told her just as Yami was about to make a grab for them the Vixens, Shakti was going let loose some massive attack on him from behind! Yugi also realized that Yami was going to be all but dead from this attack! He was so busy focusing on his father he didn't even realize he was about to wind up a barbecued winged corpse!

They had to act fast and they did! Just as he about shielded them from his father assumed attack they knocked him out of the way and took the full hit of both attacks at once! These attacks had been meant for him and now they both lay lifeless on the ground!

"Yugi?! Aziza?! No, No," he gazed at them and saw his father was smiling with great satisfaction as the rest of the lives were about to be snuffed out like a candle. "No, No, stop it. Stop it. STOP IT!" Yami screamed and all eyes turned on him!

Everyone could only watch slightly at the spectacle that was now happening before their eyes. It was beyond words as they gazed upon the Prince of Xanadu.

On his forehead, the Eye Emblem was glowing intensely as a golden light was being emitted from his body. It shot high in the sky and soon the whole world over was bathed in the magical golden glow! For a few moments, all the evil was purged from the planet and the world was healed! All natural disasters cease to be and even death was halted for a few moments! All of humanity for a few moments could hear this song and this song was playing in all of their hearts and they truly understood what really matters. This was the most unbelievable amount of magical energy ever!

Both Yugi and Aziza awoke healed by Yami's powers and were just as stunned as everyone else by them. Yami magic was for a few moments beyond the zenith! This was something more powerful then any magic! As it finally died away Yami's clothing had reverted back to his Princely outfit. He was breathing very hard yet still had enough strength to walk to his father and fall to his knees. He then began to whisper something in a very broken up voice.

"Please, I beg you, spare them. Spare my human friends lives. If you do I swear I'll come back willingly to Xanadu. I'll marry Serafina. I'll once more become Atem and cease being Yami. Please, I'll once more be your obedient son and tool if you don't hurt them. I'll sacrifices everything even my own freedom if you let them live! I swear it!" he pleaded with the winged devil before him.

Everyone was rendered speechless. No way could he do that! Not even for them! He just couldn't. They wanted to attack but a look from Yugi was all that stopped them from winding six feet under.

"You swear to uphold your duties and resume your role in the perfect Xanadu society? You'll keep your word of honor if I allow these pestilences to continue breathing? You swear that you won't cause any more trouble, Prince Atem?" his father asked in a sadistically manner. He circled him like a wolf about to dine on its latest kill.

"Yes, I Prince Atem of Xanadu swear on the Heart of Xanadu to keep my vow if you promise to allow all of this world to live," Yami told him in a defeated deadpan tone with his head hung.

"Done! Vixens collected the rest of the trash and make sure it doesn't leak as we take it back. Camille! Aknadin let's get going! I don't want to further subject my feet to touching this despicable soil!" barked Aknamkanon to his subordinates with glee.

"May I be allowed to say goodbye, please Father?" Yami asked again in a deadpan tone.

"Very well, make it quick!" he snapped as hit him hard sending him forward face first into a pile of bloodstained ashes.

"Yami you can't do this! You can't let this happen!" Everyone said this at once. They couldn't let him be so easily defeated yet Yami held up a hand.

"My friends listen to me. I don't want to go back this way. But I can't live one day or forever knowing that the people I love are dead because of me. I won't let any of you die because of me! Even if I must sacrifices everything I make it willingly. I love all of you so much so don't forget me because I won't forget you, my loving family. I promise it will all work out in the end," Yami told them reassuringly as he held Yugi's hands and smiled at his sister knowingly.

Then he screamed as shadow mangles blinded his legs, arms, wings and a collar with a long chain was yanking him away from them.

"YAMI!" They all cried as they race to save him only to stop by both the blue phoenix and all 16 versions of Camille. She was sneering at them and told them mockingly, "Yami is no more. He is Atem again. Now I suggested all you leave now! The King has graciously spared your insignificant mortal lives; don't think of making him mad. It doesn't bother any of us if any you die. So I'd be very grateful at the fact I still have a life, I won't go throwing it away!"

As she turned to follow her King back to their celestial hell she exchanged a few words in her native tongue with the Cyclops. No one not even Yami knew but Aziza knew Millennium Language and understood every word they're saying. Because of the jobs of her parents being fluent in many different forms of communications was a must. Truthfully Millennium Language sound very much like Ancient Egyptian spoken backward.

"This little brat fate is sealed already! You were able to retrieve the Black Card no problem weren't you, Cyclops?"

"Yes, it was so easy! That old fool is losing his touch since he been on patrol with the rest of those fools! Now that we've used it nothing will stop us from achieving our dreams! Stupid Atem is in for a shock tomorrow. We know him too well now. His actions tomorrow are very easy to predict!"

"Yes, there no way after this serious of contamination he'll wed Serafina and do as he was created to do. No, he'll challenge Aknamkanon to a Millennium Duel," pausing to sinisterly chuckle, "Yet he won't be able to count on the Heart to help him see how its dead! C'mon let's go!"

Everyone watched helplessly as Yami was dragged helplessly back to Xanadu. But there was one thing only Yugi notice. It was something everyone else overlooked. His beautiful amethyst gazed right into the ones of his true love and saw a single bead of moisture fall from Yami right eye. That single teardrop landed on Yugi's face and he knew they'd had to do something!

"C' mon there only one person who can help us help Yami now!" he said as he used his new powers to take them all to the one person who could save him, his mother Samira.


	18. Two Hearts One Song

Two Hearts, One Song"

"This is the second to last chapter folks. There is one more story chapter then I'm going to write an author note to explain everything about this story we'll love so much. So if you got any questions send by PM and I'll answer them! Now let's begin!"

Though they had left Earth as quickly as possible, the rest of trek back to Xanadu was very slow. King Aknamkanon wanted to break Atem as much as possible so when he'd challenged him to the Millennium Duel he would be at his weakest. He knew by his son's actions there could be no other outcome from this little stunt of his.

It had become very obvious that Atem was far too contaminated by poisonous lies that had snatched his beautiful Samira away from him. Atem was still being influenced by them as he was no longer wearing his splendid prince clothes which had transformed back to the filthy Earth rags after he calmed down from his tantrum. Those MONSTERS had now completely brainwashed, rinsed and dried him so bad, that his offspring was now of little use to him. That had become perfectly clear when he destroyed the Darklight Item. He refused to let the fucking youth steal his power away! Aknamkanon had along with all loyal to the memory of their world won't let this boy foil a lifetime of planning with his foolishness!

So when it became obvious that all attempts to bring back his offspring before the deadline so he'd be decontaminated would fail, they'd used their last resort to solve their problems, the evil Black Card. During Atem's little play date with the Vixens keeping an eye on him and his two cursed little playmates, he along with all those loyal to the real Xanadu had executed their final plan. They'd had finished using The Black Card in the Starlight Tower just before the sunset. Then the three of them just left for Earth to retrieve the traitors and the final piece of the puzzle.

He yanked harder on the disobedient offspring chain that was chocking him so bad. The Shadow Manacles dug deeper into his flawless skin, yet though he was still shedding tears he wasn't bleeding. Atem looked sadly back at Earth with his beautiful amethyst eyes full of tears and pain. Atem's mind was full of thoughts of hopelessness, which now was pouring throughout the rest of his body. It was as if the song "End of all Hope," by Nightwish was now his heart's song for the song that Yugi had bestowed him was all but lost to him now. Never in his life had he felt this low.

They finally reached Xanadu and the minute his feet touched that cursed beautified hell golden streets, Yami ceased to exist and he was once more Atem or was he? He didn't get much of chance to think about it as he watched in silent horror as his father barked plenty of orders out. What he said chilled him to the bone.

"Camille! Go and get your daughter ready for tomorrow's wedding, will you? It will happen at dawn as planned! Send your husband and few others to get the chapel ready while you're at?"

With a murderous sneer on her demonic face, she replied, "It will be my pleasure oh great King Aknamkanon. Seraphim must be done doing all the housework by now. Don't worry my Serafina will be perfect for her wedding tomorrow! See you later!" Camille said laughing wickedly as she flew off.

"My beloved brother, please take these traitors and attempt to remove it at all possible the filthy humans lie that infected their minds, will you? Don't go easy on them at all. Give them all your utmost attention while you use your powers to purge their minds. I don't want any human ideals lingering in their heads."

"My pleasure brother, you won't be disappointed! C'mon all of you! Let's get a move on! Seto, I can't believe you would think of dishonoring me in such a shameful manner! Have you no pride in your wonderful heritage?!" he demanded furiously as he kicked his own son hard in the back. Seto glared at him hatefully. He chanced a glance at his cousin praying that he wasn't completely broken inside. If he was all their hopes and dreams were for nothing.

"Now you will follow me, son. I think your way overdue for your punishment for your childish actions!" Aknamkanon said in the most threatening of voice. He started back to Atem's room dragging the poor boy when the Vixens intercepted him. He looked at them annoyed. "What do you three want?" he barked at them.

"We cannot permit you to go one step further, King Aknamkanon," they said in one voice as he burned a look that only could have been seen in the Ghost Rider movie at them. However, the Vixens had no souls to burn anymore then the Devil's Son did. They held their ground and demanded loudly, "We want our reward now just like you promised. Admit it without our help your little offspring would still be running rampant. We softened him up enough to be captured. So give us our cocaine already!" they growled at him.

He held out his left hand and a large shadow flame erupted from it. When the inferno, at last, died away standing before them was Cole Turner/Balthazar in sleek skintight black leather. The Vixens squealed loudly enough to break the glass as they made their own shadow chain and dragged the bewildered man away. The sounds of a cat fight were soon heard ringing out from who got to sleep with him first! Shaking his head at the Vixens foolishness the King of Xanadu continued until he reached his desired location.

Atem looked up dejectedly as the doors to his room or cell were opened up and they entered the room. The glass from his skylight hadn't been cleaned up although bars had been installed in the window to keep him locked inside and it was a general mess. It had been virtually left untouched since the last time he had been in here. His father then picked him up and swung him on the chain around very rapidly. Atem was then slammed into everything in his room that could cause the most pain. The walls, the bed, the balcony rail and finally dragged through the shards of glass on the floor!

Aknamkanon then threw him on his bed hard enough to give him a concussion. "Now I'm leaving to attend to some matters of business. You're to get ready for your wedding tomorrow starting by discarding those filthy humans' rags and changing into the proper attire I left on your bed. Don't try to leave this room, I've got guards posted everywhere and I'll destroy the Earth and its entire people if you don't keep your word. Now prepare for your wedding!" Aknamkanon shouted at him as he slammed the door shut leaving Atem crying tearfully on his bed.

"I'm all alone, there's no way out of this. Everyone is going to suffer because of my selfishness. If only I hadn't run away then my friends on the Court wouldn't about to be getting a lobotomy, the citizens wouldn't have their hopes crushed, and my friends on Earth wouldn't have nearly died! What was I thinking about putting Yugi in such danger? If anything happened to him I wouldn't be able to forgive myself! Some hero of destiny I turned out to be. I can't even save myself and now I've doomed not one, but two worlds! Oh Mom, Yugi, Aziza I wish you were here," Atem sobbed. He was so confused he didn't know what to think. Almost automatically he stripped off his human clothes and wrapped himself up in his princely attire. He looked at himself in his full-length mirror gazing at his reflection. "If there was ever a time I needed a miracle, nor is it the time," he whispered.

He went back to his bed and continued to sob. His mind was full of images of his aibou, sister, mother, and his friends. He relived all the memories of his time on Earth. Both the good and bad made him swell with pride before he remembered his great sacrifice for them. While he knew he'd done what was right and saved them it seemed he'd only delayed the inevitable. He suddenly felt something lightly nip at his neck. He reached into his shirt and pulled out Faith's Guardian Angel Pendant. Like the Puzzle he'd worn it so long now he forgot at times it was around his neck even.

As held the precious angel in his palms, he remembered Faith's words. That God always helped those in need. He was in each soul the source of hope and he'd help him if he asked for it and meant it. Atem struggled to pull himself together to remember the pray of help from the pray book she left him. He then got in a kneeling position and prayed in a broken voice, "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Psalm 46.1"

"Father, You are here with me in my time of need. I choose to place my trust in You. You are my safe Place, My Refuge from the storms of life. You are here with me now. I can rest safely in Your love, believing that You will act on my behalf. You make a way where there is no way. You are my Strength. I hold onto Your promises and claim them by faith. You do not leave me alone in my trouble – You rescue me. Amen"

Taking a deep breath after reciting the prayer from the book he said his own. "Dear God of Earth. I know I'm not one of your children yet I'm in desperate need of your help. Please, I beg you Spirit of everlasting hope and faith. Please send me someone to help me do the miracle expected of me. Please send me someone to aid me, I beg you," the winged prince of Xanadu begged to the heavens outside his prison cell.

For a few moments nothing happened, and Atem fell further into a never-ending cycle of despair as he buried himself in his pillows. Then the room was full of soft golden light and the sound of silver bells filled the room, but he failed to notice as he continued to cry. Atem still didn't look up till he felt someone rubbing his back and singing a tune he vaguely recalled. Slowly he looked up and gasped!

Sitting at the edge of his bed was Faith! She looked different then when he last saw her on her deathbed. She was dressed in a very nice cranberry jumper and hoodie and around her neck was a silver bell. "Hello Yami. How have you been my friend?"

"Faith! Am I dreaming or are you a hallucination?"

"Are you so shocked that the Almighty Father, the Creator of Earth wouldn't send an angel to answer your prayers?" Faith asked him giggling a bit at the surprised expression on his face.

"You're a real angel? Wow, well I guess it is a surprise seeing as how I'm not from Earth and well I guess a part of me didn't really believe that God cared enough to listen to me, after all, I was so faithful and this is how he rewarded me? Having my dreams dashed and destroying my one chance at happiness. Why would God do that to me," Atem snapped at Faith?

Faith didn't even flinch. Instead, she stood up and looked at him. "I want you to listen to me closely young Prince. I may be new at this angel counseling business, but that doesn't mean I'm not the right angel for the job. Now don't interrupt because I got a message from God that you need to hear understand?"

"Crystal clear, but I don't see how it's going to fix my situation."

"Yami, do you really have so little faith in God that you think he'd abandon you? That couldn't be further from the truth. God loves you so much Yami and he has always had. From the moment of your conception, God had a purpose for you. The trials and hardships you have endured were not God's doing. God doesn't create abusers or liars. He doesn't damm his children by separating you from your mother. God wants to be there to help you when you're on the floor broken and crying your heart out. God answered your prayers once by giving you the strength to leave this hell and find happiness, friendship, and even love on Earth. Throughout your time on Earth God's grace opened your heart up and by accepting him you were able to grow into a noble and handsome young man you were meant to be," Faith told him as she glowed from God's love.

"If God was protecting me then why have I lost everything? Why I am once again trapped here while my friends and family are suffering. If God created me for the sole purpose to free my people why am I being condemned?" Atem argued back at her.

"God can't live your life for you Yami and he can't make choices for you. You chose to come back here to save the lives of the people who cared about you. You knew that by returning here you would face terrible hardships yet you trusted in God enough to know that He wouldn't give you more then you could handle. We all lose faith in God one time or another especially when it seems he has forgotten us, but he never will. If you're willing to put your faith and trust in Him, God's love will help you find the strength to overcome any obstacle and fulfill the purpose both your Oracle and my God created you for. Will you trust Him now Yami to pick you up and accept his love?" Faith asked holding out her hands.

"Yes, I will trust God. Thank you for reminding me of my faith. I missed you, Faith," Atem said accepting her hands and feeling God's loving presence engulf him and erase all his doubts and fears.

"I know you do Yami and I'm glad I could help. Now I must go, my young friend. My new friends and I must do a lot more work before we become full fledge angels."

"Friends? You've friends? What are their names? What is Heaven like anyway? Are you happy? I've been wondering that since you died in my arms," Atem confessed to Faith as she smiled at him.

"My friend's names are Hannah Gobrightly and her friend Figgian Firewings. We along with our Ark Angels or animal angels Ruby a puppy and Sputters a kitten are training to be real Angels. Our teacher is a wise man named Gabriel at the moment. So I must really be going, Yami. There are others who need my help right now. Don't worry we shall see each other again one day. Goodbyes Prince Yami never forgets that God loves you," Faith whispered as she vanished from sight leaving Atem feeling happier then he'd felt in hours.

"Thank you Faith for reminding me to never forget what I believe in. I can't give up hope just yet. I know my friends will help me out no matter what the outcome. I have to keep believing they'll be able to pull off a miracle," Atem whispered as he sat back on his bed counting the hours until he would be tying the knot to Serafina.

Meanwhile on Earth Yugi along with everyone was trying to figure out how to save Yami from his abusive father and the forces of evil. Yugi was very drained from teleporting so many people with his new powers. He didn't understand everything about his own magic but he knew one thing for sure. To use them he had to feel something. Emotions were the key to their use and the love he felt right now for Yami was giving him a major power boost! Yet Yugi was very unfamiliar with his abilities and not trained in their proper use yet. He was acting mostly on instinct.

He had barely managed to get everyone to Yami's mother home before he passed out. Aziza also acting on instinct scooped up her friend in her arms and a healing aura began to surround the small boy. They didn't even need to knock. Samira came outside and took one look at their faces and she knew what had happened.

"Come inside quickly! There isn't much time if we are going to save two worlds and this universe from Zork's evil influence!" she said gravely as everyone filled in. Even with the memory transfer, they'd received no one fully understood what the hell was going on.

"Ok Lady! Start talking and give us the answer straight! Just what the hell is going on? What's with the damn wings, magic and all the rest of the shit from the skies that was rained down on us in the form of the Apocalypse! What is wrong with Yugi and Aziza, what does your son have to do with all this and who is Zork?" Joey yelled loudly before Aziza, who was still healing Yugi, kicked him in the groin to shut him up.

"Joseph, will you please shut up for five minutes that annoying trap of yours?! All of you will you please remain quiet until my mother explains everything! Because it just got even worse as well as more complicated because that Cyclops and Bitch mention something called the Black Card and I have a bad feeling about it!" Aziza screamed at the top of her voice at everyone was then render quiet.

"Thank you, Basest. That is one way to get everyone to calm down and be quiet. Now Samira my love, please, if you can tell them the rest of the story. They all are a part of it now and they have a right to know their parts. It also may be the only way to save our son," Samir told his wife who was white as a ghost and shaking. He knew that this was a difficult time for her, but she needed to be strong if she wanted to save her only son.

"Give me a moment, I'll be right back. I'm going to get something from the safe. We'll need it," as she ran to her studio and soon she returned with the Millennium Crown on her head and a thick sketch pad under her arm. Taking a deep breath she slipped the Millennium Crown on. At once a golden aura surrounded her as her remaining divinity flooded back to her. "I'm going to tell you a story about the beginning of one universe and how its destruction opened the gateway for evil. When I'm done you will understand why all of you play a part in saving this universe. Observe," she said using her magic to bring her sketches to life around them like a 3D movie.

"Thanks to my son you already know the beginning of this tale, but now you will learn the whole story. It has taken many eons to get this close to fulfilling an ancient, but powerful Prophecy. One that once fulfilled will save what good remains of a once great world. I've waited a great deal of time for this day to arrive. Now that it has I won't have it ruined by the same evil that destroyed mine. I won't let another universe fall into the clutches of Zork's influence and lose the two most powerful Hearts ever to the Lord of Darkness! No, I will not watch this world with the jewel of life known as Earth die as Xanadu did. Not when a small part can still be saved from damnation!" she told and as each word escaped her glitter magenta lips. The images around them the last word to the present. Samira began to glow brighter and they watched in shock as from her back a pair of beautiful wings regrew and she once more became the Queen of Xanadu!

"You're smoking hot babe!" all the guys except Yugi said at once and the girls hit them all really hard. "FOCUS YOU PERVERT DOLTS!" they snapped as Samira giggled.

"It's alright, let me explain the origin of the Hearts as well as a few other things that play a part in my son's destiny," as she used her reserve magic to show them a huge lovely woman dressed in beautiful gold armor and big blue eyes bathed in this heavenly golden light. She was so beautiful there were no words to describe her as she stole your breath. You just knew she was pure and good.

"This woman is known as Halakti or the Light of Hope. She gave life to the many different universes and became known as the Mother of all Hearts. For you see she was each worlds' mystical source of energy, a Heart. By using the power of her Heart's powers the universal flourished under Halak's guidance's as a kingdom of good. But one day a being known as Zork came and started trying to corrupt the Hearts turning worlds evil. He was from another universe, one was only evil dwells. His only desire was to consume all the light and makes his Shadow Realm the only universe to exist, which is why he tried to corrupt the Hearts. There was a huge war and both sides fought fiercely. Many worlds both good and evil were destroyed and some universes ceased to exist at all. It took all of Halakti's power, but she finally managed to seal him and his evil influences away, but it was at a great cost. No longer could she protect the remaining universes or their worlds from danger and she feared that Zork would return. So she came up with a daring plan to save all she loved from destruction."

"First, she dived up her remaining powers and distributed them to all the different worlds. The powers became each worlds Heart. As long as the Heart remained pure and the light shone brightly the world need not fear the Darkness that Zork sent to destroy them," Samira explained to her captivated audience. She smiled at their amazement before continuing with her tale. "Xanadu was one the most thriving and prospering society with one of the two legendary Hearts that were rumored to be more powerful then any other Heart. It seemed that our society was perfect and would remain that way forever. Then little by little the people fell victim to Zork's wraths. These wraths poisoned the minds and souls and killed the people hearts. Soon the evils of Shadows that can be found anywhere consumed us and we all but died and Zork would have claimed our Heart as his own. That's if the real Heart of Xanadu had been around at the time, which it wasn't. Only the symbol existed not the true Heart."

"All Hearts have two things in common. 1, they are meant to help their worlds in any way possible and 2, they all are protected by Halakti's daughter, the Oracle who is known as the Guardian of the Hearts. When my world fell and the Prophecy was revealed it meant that the real Heart of Xanadu wasn't the Crystal, which was just the symbol, it was a person, my future son to be exact! When you combine Yami's power with the Heart of Earth's power, the second legendary power, you've got more power then the Egyptian Gods cards you have."

"Unbelievable, but I still don't get understand something Samira. How can I be the Heart of Earth and Aziza be the mortal incarnation of the Oracle?" Yugi asked confused.

"Yeah and what about that Black Card I mentioned. How does that play into all this?" Aziza demanded.

"Yugi, you are a rare type of human being. You're pure, full of innocence and love. Instead of acting out in anger, fear, and aggression you respond with friendship, compassion, and forgiveness. All of your life you have acted selfless and never once asked for anything in return. These are qualities that Halakti is drawn to so she bestowed her gift upon you. Aziza became the mortal form of her daughter because she also demonstrates similar qualities' and because she had ties to the two Hearts. Didn't you two ever wonder about your gifts before? Aziza your exceptional senses are to superhuman even for one coping with blindness and Yugi, hasn't always felt like someone was aiding you in dueling? Whether you two admit or not you've always been using your magical gifts your whole life. It's only because you met Yami that your true power is coming to show although that might be coming to an end if Aknadin and Camille have their way," Samira said sadly.

"What does this Black Card do exactly? I don't understand how a piece of paper could cause such trouble," Rebecca remarked.

"The Black Card is pure evil, a relic from Zork's time. If it used on the crystal which contains the power of the Heart of Xanadu, it will kill it. The power will cease to exist and my son won't be able to absorb it and defeat his bastard father. That's why we need to act fast before all is lost."

"So what do you have in mind, because in case you didn't notice us none of the can fly to your former home and rescue your son," Tristan said.

"Your bodies can't go to Xanadu. It's impossible for mortals to touch it, but your souls can," Samira told them in a sly voice as they looked at her like she lost her mind.

"C' mon again lady? How can our souls get to Xanadu and stop your ex who clearly nothing more then an unknowing disciple of Zork's evil from fulfilling his plans for him? How are we gonna stop him from killing Yami and save the whole freaking universe?" Bakura spoke for the first time. Some reason he felt uneasy hearing the name Zork, he didn't know why but it made him think of when he was little and scared the boogie man was going to get him. Wakana squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"If you all would take out the feathers I could explain. Don't look at me that way I know all of you have received feathers from my son," Samira said knowingly as everyone then removed the feathers that had been given to them. They all for some reason couldn't just throw them away. They looked at her wanting an explanation. What could a few stray feathers do?

"You've all received a small amount of Divinity from my son because each of you has given him a piece of humanity. You've all bestowed to him important gifts that he needs to in order to fulfill the Prophecy," she said as she held out her hand and it glowed and she told them exactly what they taught her son.

"Solomon Moto, you gave Yami the gifts of Hard Work and Determination. Joey the gift of Survival, Tristan the gift of Manners, Bakura, and Wakana the gift of Nature, Tea the Gift of Dance, Serenity gift of Understanding Death and Grief, Mokuba the gift of Forgiveness, Kaiba the gift of Charity," everyone got a snickering fit of giggles but shut up quickly. "Kisara the gift of Patience, Rebecca the gift of Imagination, Mai the gift of Courage to deal with Fear, Duke the gift of taking a Risk. Yugi you and Aziza have given more then anyone can hope to give him. Do you understand now? When you taught Yami a lesson in Humanity he gave you each a piece of his Divinity. We can use that Divinity to help him now. If you all of you are ready that is to face your destiny."

"We're ready! Let's do it!" they all cried in unison. None of them seemed aware of the fact that this was the first time any of them had agreed on one thing without trying to kill one another.

"OK everyone holds your feathers to your heart and think of Yami. Think of him and how he makes you feel then let him become you. Let a part of him become a part of you as you did to him," Samira instructed them as they all thought about Yami and all that he made them feel." Everyone closed their eyes and concentrated on her words. They knew that it was important to cast away any doubts they had and put their faith in the Heart of Xanadu.

Soon all their heart's started beating in tune with the song that Yugi's and Yami's made together and the feathers sank into their skins. Then all of sudden they started to itch all over, really, really bad! Then, to everyone's surprise, they were lifted into the air and a chrysalis of magic encased them. For a few moments, Yugi along with Aziza and her parents stood silently waiting to see what emerged. Then each of the chrysalis' burst open and all of their friends where now Divine Beings! Each had their own unique wings and auras!

"Now you two summon your powers," Samira prodded them gently. "Let go of all the worries and focus only on Yami." Closing their eyes Yugi and Aziza manage to summon their not only their own divinity but their zenith forms.

"This is way freaky, yet these wings are so pretty!" Tea giggled as she let her butterfly style wings flutter.

"Do not waste your precious magic, child. You will only have this gift of Divinity for one night. After that, you'll never have it again. Do you each understand that? You only have enough power to get your souls to Xanadu and then give what remains to Yami who gonna need all he can get to end Aknamkanon's cruelty, furthermore prevent Zork claiming this universe as he did Xanadu," Samira warned them as her teal eyes gazed at the fast approaching dawn. In minutes it would be the Day. Her son 18th birthday and his golden birthday at that! They must work quickly and act now or all was a loss for sure!

"Now understand this! We cannot I repeat cannot send your souls to help Yami in Xanadu unless you all are united in perfect harmony, that is where your true power lies. Do you understand unless you act as one and understand your powers we can't unite and help fulfill the Prophecy? So are you ready?" she asked them all seriously. Each of them looked at each other and nodded and to prove that they meant it the friendship mark now was glowing brightly on each and every one of their hands. Seeing that mark appearing on their hands showed the Queen that beyond a doubt that these people could help her in her quest. A quest to save her son and what remained of her world from the evil of the shadows that had all but consumed them. It was time.

"Now all of you please lay your hands on my crown and focus. Let your heart sing the Song, the Song of Love and Healing that Yugi's and Yami's hearts beating as one make," as everyone did as she said and they all began to really glow and soon all their hearts did beat as one. "Now all at once say Millennium Magic Soul Release!" she commanded to them. All of them took a deep breath and then screamed to the heavens "MILLENIUM MAGIC SOUL RELEASE!" As all of their bodies now glowed brightly gold and bursting from their bodies were their souls!

Without a second to lose their souls took to the air and began to follow the Queen back to her old prison Xanadu all hoping that it wasn't too late. Samira spoke very softly as they took off like shooting stars back to the one place she swore she never set foot again. "Please let the entire pain end tonight and that my son will be alright. I ask for your help God and yours as well Halakti please help all the dreams come true tonight!"

Meanwhile, a great deal had been going on in Xanadu as Yami's friends on Earth unlocked their powers. He had renewed faith since Faith had come and was ready to do everything and anything in his power to help all the lives of his people. So far it hadn't exactly been going his way. He had dressed up as a Pharaoh and allowed himself to be forcefully dragged to the chapel where all of Xanadu was waiting to see him tie the knot with a bigger bimbo then Paris Hilton if that were possible. Serafina was already waiting at the altar wearing clothes as beautiful as ever yet she was just stupid as ever!

"Can we please hurry this up? I've got a manicure appointment in like 10 minutes. Oh, what kinda fabric is this? I so don't need another skin complaint if it one of those silly cheap synthetics. What color is this again and does it go with my nail polish?" she whined in chipmunk helium tone of voice. Really how dumb could one person be?

Shadi, who was after all the Spirit of Law and Order, gazed at the ridicules brat in bewilderment. He was of course supposed to forever bind Atem to this thing in marriage. But the very thought appalled him and if he was corporal he'd thrown up at it. This was far too nauseating! But he had no choice in the matter. The King was using the full power of his Staff to control the spirit so he couldn't rebel and save the prince from this unholy matrimony.

The chapel was split down the middle by where one's loyalties resided. All those loyal to the Prince were on the right while all those loyal to the King and his madness were on the left. It was sick to think that the evil corruption that Zork had sent to destroy Xanadu eons ago where still so very much alive. It was unlikely any of the people on the left side realized it, but if you worshiped any form of evil, and have allowed the devil on the left to consume you from within, then you were nothing more the one of Zork soulless as well as heartless wraiths. He owned you if you allowed yourself to become evil. The King truly didn't see his dream to bring about a new Xanadu was nothing more then what Zork wanted him to do his dirty work for him. Yet it was safe to say that the King, his brother, and Camille all were very much evil on their own that they didn't require much of Zork's dark influencing helping them.

Atem walked like he was a corpse down the aisle with the Heart of Xanadu banging lightly at his chest. His father had given it to him as the custom demanded. He saw out of the corner of his eye that all the good souls were bound in Shadow Manacles and Crowns. He wanted to rip them off with his bare hands, but he kept going. It seemed as if he had no control over his feet. He reached the Millennium Stone and he felt his insides feel very sick.

As the ceremony began he wasn't paying attention at all. The only thing he was thinking of was what his heart was telling him to do. He could no longer let his fear of his father rule him. He knew what he had to do even if it seemed impossible to do it. When Shadi asked if he takes Serafina as his wife forever he screamed loud and clear. "I WON'T! I WON'T MARRY SERAFINA NOT NOW NOT EVER! NO WAY IN HEAVEN OR HELL I'LL MARRY HER!"

A great hush falls upon on the crowd. For a moment no one spoke or moved then Aknamkanon, who despite the fact that he knew this would happen, didn't make him any less angry reacted. He then hit Atem so hard it sent the prince flying all the way to the end of the aisle. As Atem struggled to his feet he noticed everyone's eyes were on his father. Many were shocked and gasping at the strange sight before them. Staining Aknamkanon hand was a bright red liquid.

"What?! What the Hell is this stuff?!" he screamed bewildered as he continued to stare at the red on his hands in horror. The strange substance dripped from his fingers onto the marble floor staining it bright crimson.

"It's called blood and its type O if I'm not mistaking taking into consideration Mom is type O," Atem told him as he slowly got to his feet. His face was covered in blood, but it didn't bother him. He knew he'd at last achieved true humanity. His sire at a loss for words demanded an explanation. In fact, everyone both good and evil was wondering what the heck was going on.

"How is it possible for you to bleed?! You're still an Immortal since you haven't clipped your wings! How is it possible you can be Human and an Immortal at once?!" he demanded angrily at his son who was smiling.

"What you failed to realize is what exactly humanity is and what immortally is, you son of a bitch! Humanity isn't about physical appearance. I've seen people who can't walk, have no arms or legs or not all of their organs. MY SISTER IS BLIND! But they aren't any less human! No, what humanity and real immortally are is this. To have a real heart that can care more about others and other things then oneself! The ability to LOVE! LOVE IS HUMANITY AND LOVE IS IMMORTALITY YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH AND I LOVE MY PEOPLE AND THE LIVES ON EARTH MORE THEN YOU'LL EVER KNOW! IN THE NAME OF LOVE AND THE FUTURE OF BOTH XANADU AND EARTH I PRINCE YAMI CHALLENGE YOU KING ANKMOMKOAN TO A MILLENNIUM DUEL!"

"If it's a Millennium Duel you want Atem, then it's a Millennium Duel you shall get!" Aknamkanon said in a low and dangerous tone of voice. With a mighty roar, he used a huge burst of power to send everyone flying up against the walls clearing the field. Glass shattered and the room shook as Aknamkanon tap into his full power to bring about shadowy darkness that encompassed the two opponents. "Ready son?"

"It's time to duel!" Yami said taking to the sky quickly followed by his father. The crowd could only peer through the shadowy dome cheering on as the fight of the century begins between father and son.

Each of their Immortal Objects was glowing intensely as they summoned up all their magic. This was going to be a fight to the finish alright. One thing was clear one person was going to wind up dead after this was over.

Aknamkanon fired the first shot nearly taking Yami's head off, which he countered with some of the dance moves Tea had shown him and fired off some of his power but missed as well. After a few more practice shots both opponents were ready to get the real duel started.

Yami circled behind Aknamkanon and threw an energy ball at him only to have the King use his Staff to deflect the shot. Yami barely had a chance to recover before he was bombarded by a barrage of dark energy blast. He wasn't fast enough at one of the shots grazed his right shoulder opening a new wound.

"Sucks feeling pain doesn't it? At least as true Immortal, I'm not distracted by pain and exhaustion!" Aknamkanon snarled as the two opponents got locked into hand to hand combat. Yami landed some good blows and managed to toss Aknamkanon into the wall damaging one of his wings.

"You forget that I have that I'm younger then you! I have way more energy to burn!" Yami yelled releasing more power into his attacks. He used his telekinesis and hurled the altar at his father, but Aknamkanon was prepared and used his superior strength to obliterate the three-ton piece of furniture. Yami grumbled but knew he had to think of something. His ex-father was a fully Ascended Divine Being, added to the fact he was a Royal and his Staff was one of the most powerful Items made him a tough opponent.

"Finally realizing that I'm more then a match for you son? Face it Atem your youth may give you an advantage, but you're at a great disadvantage. You're not fully Ascended yet and since my Shadow Manacles drained you of half your power you're fighting at half strength! Your Puzzle is strong, but after that little tantrum, you threw I don't' that Item has enough divinity in it to keep you going for long. Oh and don't even think about using the Heart's power because I used the Black Card on it killing it! Face it Atem, your outgunned, out classed, and out of luck!" Aknamkanon informed his shocked son. Not giving Yami a chance to think he hurled a blast of energy straight at Yami.

Yami screamed as the energy wrapped itself around him and began electrocuting him. He couldn't fly and plummeted to the ground creating a massive crater. The Prince struggled to free himself from the prison when Aknamkanon used his power to try a rip his wings off with his telekinesis. When that didn't work he used his elemental attacks ranging from roasting Yami to trying to drown him.

With an explosive force, Yami threw off the attacks and countered with his own. He was breathing heavily and it felt like his ankle was broken, but he didn't care. Ignoring the pain he felt he combined wind and earth together to send a massive rock filled tornado at his opponent. He pumped his fist in victory as his attack managed to get through and knock Aknamkanon Staff out of his hand. Quickly pressing his advantage he reached out with his mind and absorbed the cursed Item's power into himself healing his wounds. "Looks like I have the upper hand now don't I?"

"You will pay for your insolence child! Aknadin! Camille! Vixens! Loyal citizens of Xanadu I need your strength! Will me your power now!" Aknamkanon commanded. Everyone hesitated for a moment knowing that if they did as he ordered they lose all their powers for good. Seeing the murderous look on his face they did as he told them.

"We will our power to King Aknamkanon!" the evil loyalist said. The Court watched in horror as literally hundreds of Divine Beings and corrupted Divine Beast fell to the floor unconscious as their precious powers went streaming into the evil King. Aknamkanon laughed hysterically as he grew and grew with the more power he took in. Soon he was the size of an Egyptian God! Yami gazed up at him in disbelief. What was he going to do now?

"Oh my word," whispered Isis.

"Never in all my years did I see such blatant disregard for life," Karim muttered.

"What is the Prince going to do now? With Aknamkanon supercharged there's no way he can beat him now even if he Ascends!" Mana moaned.

"We can't give up hope yet Mana. My cousin is sure to pull something out of his sleeve," Seto told her.

"I don't know about his sleeve, but there is something we can do to even the playing field a bit," Shimon said. Everyone looked at the old man and knew what he meant. Still, they ran the risk of losing their lives if they did what he was suggested in their weakened state.

"Before we give away our Divinity how about we get out of these shackles shall we?" Shada said surprising everyone as he stood up with his shackles dangling from his fingertips. As Shadi rushed over to help he had to ask how he had managed to get free. "When you work in the dungeons as long as I do you pick up a few tricks. Now, where were we?"

"Listen to me, everyone! For far too long we have been imprisoned in this miserable place without any hope of escape. Today our Prince is willing to sacrifice his newfound mortality for us! He needs our strength to overcome this darkness. Please lend him all the power you can so he can win this duel and reawaken our Heart's power!" Mahad pleaded to everyone. They all nodded and focused their energies on their beloved Prince giving him all the power they had.

Yami could feel the new power rushing into him like the cool waters of a waterfall cascading down him. The newfound energy was certainly a power boost, but it wasn't enough to overpower his father. Still, it was better then nothing. Shouting with the joy of his newfound strength he blocked his father's attack right before it could pierce his heart. Flying to the top of the dome he unleashed a powerful beam of golden light that encountered Aknamkanon shadowy black one.

It was a power struggle as both the King and Prince fought with everything they had. Both beams of power struggling to overcome the other one. At first, it seemed they were evenly matched and nothing would break them up. Then Yami's slowly started giving away. The Prince poured every ounce of power he had into the beam desperate to send the shadow beam back, but it was not to be. With a triumphant cry, Aknamkanon's beam obliterated Yami's golden one and struck the Prince full on. Yami struggled to stay in the air, but it was too much for him and he crumbled to the ground with broken bones, torn clothes, and damaged wings.

"It's over Atem; you have nothing left to give! Once I've eliminated you the Heart's power will be mine forever and then I can destroy Earth! How does it feel to know that you've failed everyone you ever cared about? So much for your ridiculous prophecy! Say, goodbye son!" Aknamkanon bellowed unleashing his full power at Atem. The power came together in the shape of Zork before heading on a collision course with the Prince.

"YAMI NO!" The Court yelled. Everyone closed their eyes not wishing to see the life sucked out of their beloved prince. Even Yami seemed to surrender to his fate. He watched through blurry tears as the end came to him. Closing his eyes he readied himself for death and whispered his last words, "Yugi, I need you."

The moment before the Zork shaped cloud struck a brilliant rainbow glow surrounded the Prince and with a tremendous show of power deflecting the shot and dissipated! Everyone opened their eyes stunned by what had just happened. Where had the shield come from? That's when they saw the most welcomed sight of Yami's friends' souls standing protectively in front of their friend. "If you want to kill Yami, you have to go through us first chump!" Joey shouted defiantly.

"It's inconceivable! It's just plain impossible! Mortals can't set foot in my perfect world! It's just not possible!" Aknamkanon stuttered in disbelief when he felt someone kick him hard in the balls and then a golden flame got between him and Atem.

"News Flash you bastard nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it! Now keep your filthy hands off my brother or I'll do a lot worse then kick you!" Aziza yelled in her own defiant manner. She was using her powers to protect all the innocent souls and heal her brother who Yugi was now holding in his arms. Aziza knew she had to buy them the time they needed so Yami could Ascend. Using all the love in her heart she kept up her sacred flame.

"Yami! Yami C'mon wake up! It's me Yugi!" he said to Yami who had thought he was dead. He quickly realized he wasn't dead and that his aibou was holding him. "Yugi! You came!"

"You didn't think I leave you alone? I told you before. I love you and no matter what I'll be there for you, Yami. I promise. Now let's get rid of that bastard and go home and celebrated your birthday huh?" he said with a laugh.

"Yugi I don't have enough power. Even with you, it's not enough. We need more, something more powerful then all the darkness inside him,' as his gazed looked at his father who Aziza was doing a valiant job at holding back.

"Maybe we can get enough power to bring the Heart back to life! The only thing that will fix a broken one is love. What if all of us from Earth gave you our power?" Tea inquired as she recalled what Samira had said to them.

"It's worth a shot. Go for it!" Yami said as he held the Heart in his hands. Everyone then did as those of Xanadu had done and willed their power into the Heart. Almost immediately something major occurred. Everyone watched stunned as the Heart undergo a metamorphous. It became more gold then the sun with light even brighter then the sun as well. It grew wings and then Yami realized what he had to do. He swallowed the Winged Heart and then a gong was heard.

Everyone at first didn't realize what the song was and then it dawned on them. It was 10:30 am! Atem was now Ascending and he wasn't going to do it alone either! Both him and Yugi rose into the air together and their wings folded over each other as they kissed and all of the Scared Items in an energy form spun around them rapidly. Then after a supernova of an explosion, everyone looked in awe.

The two Hearts had become One literally! They were now one celestial being of pure endless light! When they spoke both voices echoed. "Your reign of terror is over Aknamkanon. The Prophecy shall be fulfilled and the citizens of Xanadu will be freed."

"I like to see you try boy! Shadows attack!" he commands as he drew on his full power and unleashed a wave of darkness so powerful it nearly engulfed the city. That's when the Celestial Being unleashed its own wave of light and the final battle began.

There comes a time

When you face the

Toughest of fights

Searching for a sign

Lost in the darkest of nights

"It seems that even with your newfound powers your still just a weakling Prince who doesn't know when to give up!" Aknamkanon shouted as another wave of darkness leaped from his body and darted towards the prince.

The wind blows so cold

Standing alone

Before the battle's begun

But deep in your soul

The future unfolds

As bright as the rays of the sun

"I'm not giving up just yet! The power of light and love will defeat you!" Yami/Yugi said as they poured more of their combined power into their attack.

You've got to believe

In the power of love

You've got to believe

In the power of love

The power of love

"Don't give up you two its working! He's weakening!" Aziza shouted encouraging them as did all of their loved ones.

"Don't listen to the crippled brother pulverize them!"

Blazing emotion

There's alight that flows

From your heart

It's a chain reaction

And nothing will keep us apart

Stand by my side

There's nothing to hide

Together we'll fight to the end

Take hold of my hand

And you'll understand

What it truly means to be friends!

"Is it just my imagination or does Aknamkanon's power seemed to be dwindling?" Shimon asked.

"You aren't imagining things, old friend. I believe the power of the two Hearts is proving to be more then the King I mean Tyrant can handle," Shadi said quietly.

You've got to believe

In the power of love

You've got to believe

In the power of love

It gives meaning

To each moment

It's what our hearts

Are all made of

You've got to believe

In the power of love

"Yugi we need to use all the power we have in our reserves if we are to truly defeat him and win this duel," Yami thought to his lover.

"Won't we die if we do that?" Yugi asked

"Perhaps, but at least my people will be free."

"Then let's do it!" he shouted as they poured all their love and friendship into the attack.

You've got to believe

In the power of love

You've got to believe

In the power of love

It gives meaning

To each moment

It's what our hearts

Are all made of

You've got to believe

In the power of love

The power of love

The power of love!

The light wave broke through the shadows destroying them. The force of the blow struck Aknamkanon straight in the face with enough force to knock off his headdress. "Insolent child! How dare you treat your father like this! I should ahh!" he screamed as another beam of light hit him. The light started snaking around him forming rings of light and started draining him of his power.

"FATHER?! YOU'VE THE AUDACITY TO CALL YOURSELF A FATHER?! YOU'RE NOT A FATHER NOT BY A LONG SHOT AKNAMKAKANON!" Yami screamed at him as he hit him with major energy blasted. Yugi had given up some of his control so that Yami could get off his chest this. While Yami was speaking Yugi was still helping him with the attacking by giving him the extra energy need to send the jackass packing.

With another great burst of energy, Yami continued to renounce Aknamkanon and enlighten him. "A Real father is compassionate and sympathetic to his son. YOU! You only were cruel and only bestow pain not take it away! A Real father protects his child! You were until the end of time trying to slaughter me! You abused me in every conceivable manner as you've abuse all of our people! A Real father raises you and helps through life! You only made my life Hell and tried to make impossible for me to live at all!" with each word he hit him with more of his energy. He was now crying in pain as they now flew over to him and looked at him straight in the eye.

"I was protected by my Mother, Queen Samira! I was raised by the Court and the people of Earth! Everyone I fought to save who can love and wants a bright and hopeful future make up my family! I and my Aibou won't allow you or anyone who sold their hearts and souls to the Shadow Realm Lord to darken this world of light! Now we'll fulfill the Prophecy at long last!"

As the two united Hearts flew to the highest point in the heavens and then yelled: "MILLENIUM LIGHT PURIFY!"

As a great golden light burst from them and sweep all off Xanadu. When it finally died away everyone looked. The veil of false beauty that had so long concealed Xanadu true nature was gone. Now the city looked as ugly and heartless as the beings that inhabited it! That is when a startling revelation was revealed by the Queen who was smugly smiling before her ex-husband in triumph.

"What has happened to my city!? What has happened to me?! What's fucking is going on?" he bellowed in confusion as he looked himself over. He and all that been loyal to him whether they been Beings or Beasts no longer look even remotely like Gods. Each of the Beasts wonderful color had been drained and they looked very dull and highly unattractive. The Beings were dressed in rags with their skin covered in dried dirt and blood and their wings nothing but bloody stumps. Also not one of them had any kind of magic left.

"It is called Irony and Poetic Justice. You see Aknamkanon you're still an Immortal, on the other hand, you no longer have magic or the ability to fly. Your precious city has been turned into the Living Hell and now all you and the rest of your heartless cohorts will be forever trapped in your own unyielding anguish and pain with no release. You get to live like this for the rest of time. Get it? You're basically an Immortal but you're condemned to live like a Mortal forever in Hell! While those with hearts will live free and happy on the true Xanadu, Earth!" she enlightens him and then she thumps him unconscious before walking away.

Everyone looked at the skies they still hadn't seen either Yugi or Yami since they'd done what they were meant to do. Everyone was getting worried, practicably the humans because they could feel they were about to be pulled back to their bodies as their Divinity was almost up.

"I hope they're ok. If they died then all this will be meaningless," Mahad said as they continue to scan the Heavens.

"Don't worry, Mahad they're fine. They have fulfilled the Prophecy now they can have their heart desire each other. They'll be back in three two one!" Aziza said knowingly as both young boys descend from the heavens hand in hand.

"I'll see you soon Aibou. Don't worry about me. Just make sure you get everyone back home safely and I'll meet you at Lovers Horizon, ok?" Yami told Yugi who nodded and they had one more fleeting kiss before Yugi escorted his friends' souls back to their bodies.

Yami turned to face his people. All of them both Divine Beings and Beasts now were clapping at him and he smiled. "Before we go to Earth I just want to say thank you. I couldn't have done this miracle without all of you. Thank you all for your help. Now let's go home our real home!" He said as they reached the edge of the city and got ready to make the big jump.

With one last look at their prisons, all of the noble Divine Beasts leaped joyously to freedom of Earth with the promise of love and true immortally. They're soon followed by all the Divine Beings with the Court last. Mahad looked at the Prince who seemed to want to be last.

Yami looked for a moment at it all. Earth, Xanadu and thought about all that had happened to him. He was blessed and he was at last happy. So with one last look at Xanadu, he leaped off and flew to Earth forever leaving behind Atem and all the misery of Xanadu. As he went off to his home with Yugi.


	19. Happy Golden Birthday Yami!

"Happy Golden Birthday Yami!"

Thank you for reading this story and reviewing. You don't know how happy you've made me! Thank You. Enjoy the final chapter and stick around for the Author Note and if you got any sort of questions that you want to be answered send them by PM or Review. Now here at long last is the final chapter in this story!

Samira watched with amusement as her son's friends woke up looking both tired and extremely confused. "Ugh did anyone get the number of that bus that hit us?" Tristan asked holding his throbbing head in his hand.

"We're back on Earth, but how?" Bakura asked confused. Noticing his girlfriend was staggering to her feet he decided to be a gentleman and assist her.

"I don't get it. We helped destroy that demented prick so why are we back here and not with his Royal Highness? Speaking of Yami where is the new king?" Kaiba demanded angrily. He didn't use to being helpless and right now he felt as weak as a kitten.

"Please calm yourselves; it will take a few moments for the weakness and nausea to pass. Your bodies are trying to reintegrate your souls back inside you and it's a difficult process. To answer your question Yami is still on Xanadu helping everyone leave. Once your task was completed there was no further need for you to be there so you returned to Earth. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your willingness to assist my people in their time of need. Since it will be about fifteen minutes before my son will be returning to Earth why don't we drink a quick cup of tea? The drink will help you recover faster," Samira said handing each member of the group some jasmine tea.

"This stuff is great!" Mokuba exclaimed as he took a sip. Instantly he felt a whole lot better. Like he had just been a reborn boy was his energy up!

"The kid's right, this stuff is great. I would love to know what your secret is," Mai added finishing her tea. It tickled her cute nose as she sipped up every last drop causing her to giggle.

"No secret, just love and maybe a touch of Hope Tree Root. It's a shame how that beautiful plant can't be transplanted on Earth. Now that everyone's finished their tea I suggest that we head for Lover's Horizon. Bring your decks with you because I have a strong feeling that you'll need them," Samira told them with a queer smile.

While everyone looked at her puzzled, she used her magic, to transport the entire group to the cliff, where they'd been forced to say the two most hate words in any language to Yami. Good-bye. Just after he finally managed to say the three hardest to Yugi, I love you.

"So why did we've to come here, Your Majesty? I'm sorry I mean Mrs. Keeper," Serenity said quickly trying to cover up her mistake while attempting not to go red in the face so much.

"It's alright Serenity; I will always be royalty until I die. The reason we're here is that my son said he'd meet us here. Now turn your attention to the sky, what you're about to witness will never take place again. Ah, it's starting."

Everyone looked up and were surprised as the most dazzling light show appeared in the sky. Rainbow lights danced and darted about. It was like the Northern Lights only instead of just lights you could see stars flashing, hear a strange humming, and feel the presence of goodness. All of a sudden a million shooting stars started falling towards Earth, many of them heading right for the group.

"Ouch! Hey, what's happening my cards are glowing?" Joey exclaimed in a nervous panic.

"So are mine," Mai added as she and Joey where clutching one another tightly out of fear.

Around the world, all of the cards of the duelist with pure-hearts were experiencing the same baffling phenomenon. Their cards magical flew from their decks and hovered in midair glowing intensely. No one understood at first what was about to happen but no one would forget it.

"All of our cards are reacting to those shooting stars. But why unless those aren't shooting stars we're seeing, but Samira are those Divine Beasts?" Yugi asked in awe. Samira nodded to the Heart of the Earth and then everyone turned back to watch the show.

When the brilliant electric blue stars had fallen far enough from the Heavens they all saw what they really were. They were Divine Beasts! Real Duel Monsters! They'll be semitransparent in addition to that each and everyone was smiling elated. Everyone was just rendered mute for a few amazing moments as all their precious and beloved monsters from their decks circled them one before merge with their cards. There was a blinding flash as a protective seal was now coating the cards making them indestructible.

However, to everyone shock, there was one Beast who didn't merge itself with the cards, despite it had three to choose from! After all of the three Egyptians, Gods in addition to Exoida had merged with Yugi's cards, everyone watched as something unforeseen occurred.

Just as they were about to find their voices again, the Blue Eyes White Dragon descended from Heavens. The Queen of the Dragons circled the group until it was hovering over both Kisara and Kaiba. The Blue Eyes looked right at Kisara as if into her very soul. The fair skin young woman for a few moments became dead white as she was overcome by paralyzing fear. Then a shower of blue sparkles engulfed her body and she was lifted high into skies above, even despite the fact that Kaibutt tried in vain to stop her.

She all but stopped breathing as the Blue Eyes looked at her then it lets loose it White Lightning attack. Kisara cringed as the attack hit her body, but instead of hurting her it just strengthens her. With one final word, the Blue Eye White Dragon transformed into a ball of light and entered the girl's mouth. Kisara was then caught in an explosion of magical blue energy. Her dress lengthened changing colors from white to blue with a wrap on it and wings sticking out from the back along with a tattoo of the Beast now appeared on her right shoulder. She was finally released and Kaiba got her bridal style and hugged her to his chest not even noticing residual traces of the mighty dragon's power entering his cards. "Are you okay?"

"I feel fine, better then fine. Oh, Seto for a moment I was the Blue Eyes White Dragon. I could feel her power, her wisdom, and especially her love. I don't know why, but she felt that I was the best person to host her essences. I feel so honored and I love what the transformation did to my outfit. I'm still confused by why this has happened. Um you can put me down now," Kisara pointed out and embarrassed Kaiba put her down on the ground and everyone turned to Samira waiting for her to put in plain words what had just occurred.

"The Divine Beasts heard through the grapevine about the magnificent game of Duel Monsters. They've embraced young Yugi's philosophy "Heart of the Cards" Thus they've merged their essences with the cards of Duelist who truly love them; furthermore they needed not to fear death for two reasons. One, the cards that now host their essences are protected by my son's special seal that he once uses to keep the Vixens at bay now will forever and day protect the Divine Beasts within the cards they've chosen to reside in. The second reason they needed not fear death? Duel Monsters seems to be the one craze that won't die out ever. However, there're few select Divine Beasts that desire a different place for their spiritual essences to dwell for all eternity. Like how Halakti chose certain individuals to be Hearts or the Oracle, so the Queen of Dragons chose to reside forever in young Kisara," smiling at the bewildered young woman.

"You should feel incredibly honored, White Lady. You must be extremely out of the ordinary without a doubt if a Divine Beasts chose to live forever in your soul. I can sense you wish to know if I had a magic all this time why I didn't use it before now. Why I didn't fly back to Xanadu and get my son before now. To answer your unvoiced inquires it's like this," pausing for a moment to collect herself as she held her Crown.

"The choices we make in life are really important and the kind of choice we make will determine whether they have a positive or negative outcome on events yet to come. I chose on my own free will to give up my Immortality thus I've retained as will all my people a small portion of our Divinity. This will mostly consist of the following, longevity, youthfulness, excellent health, and a tiny portion of magic," she enlightened everyone who was still trying to wrap their heads around this.

"But Mom since Yami's is the Heart of Xanadu, what will become a mortal mean for him?" Aziza asked concerned for her brother wellbeing. Yugi, who was holding her hand reassuringly, was also curious as well. Yami was his aibou! He wanted to know he'd be ok.

"I'm not sure, I assume he be just like the rest of the Divine Beings who've chosen Mortality, but stronger because he's the Heart," Samira replied unsure herself of her son ultimate fate.

"Why don't we ask him when he arrives love? Your people should be arriving soon if that rainbow over there is an indication of anything," Samir suggested reassuringly to his wife with an angelic smile.

He was right. Out of the light show still going on the show, a huge brightly colored rainbow weaved its way through the sky. Everyone took a step back as one end of the rainbow landed just a few feet from them. Sliding down the rainbow changing from Divine Being into plain old human were all the people of Xanadu.

"Look at them all! There must be hundreds of them," Rebecca whispered with one arm around her teddy bear and the other all but breaking her grandpa's hand.

"Maybe even a thousand of them! I hope that Samira's friends were able to come up with a suitable place for them to live and got their identities situated," Tea replied in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, but if these guys are just ordinary citizens where are Mana and the other members of the Court?" Duke asked worriedly. He was anxious to see if Mana was okay.

"I don't think you have to worry about them anymore. Here they are now and I must say even in human clothes they all look splendid," Grandpa said as everyone stood up straighter and bowed respectfully to the Court.

While they no longer had on their royal outfits they were wearing sophisticated and chic clothing. Their immortal items glowed with a new light in their now mortal hands. It appeared it was impossible to separate a Divine Being from their Item. As it seemed they were an extension of themselves even as a mortal. The eight of them formed two lines of four and waited patiently for the arrival of the Prince.

They didn't have to wait long. Everyone's looked up and Yugi heart nearly leaped out his throat as he watched his aibou descend gracefully towards the Earth on his rainbow-colored wings. The second he touched the ground his wings disappeared and his clothes were restored to his normal human attire. He grinned as everyone bowed to him. "Um, you don't really have to do that anymore. It makes me feel kind of silly. I mean hello I'm only an eighteen-year-old kid who needs to finish high school! I'm 18 but I'm not an adult yet!"

"You're much more then that my King. Thanks to you our people are finally free from the false king of Xanadu's rule," Shada informed him.

"Thanks to you we've truly found a place that we can call Xanadu. I know that I speak for everyone when I say thank you for bringing us to Earth," Karim added.

"You've done well my King," Shadi voiced.

"Yes, no matter how bad things got you never gave up on the Prophecy my King. I know that you will never abuse your position or your power as you're seeing as you are now the Heart of Xanadu," Shimon stated.

"You should feel great pride in your accomplishments so far my King. Without you, our people would have been lost and have nothing when they immigrated to Earth. Thanks to your insight we have nothing to worry about," Isis pointed out.

"Yes, not to mention your other accomplishments practically your decision to allow Isis and me to wed. By coming to Earth you were able to learn everything about being human. That will help you greatly my King as you rule us from this new domain." Mahad said most gratefully to the young man before him.

"Under your guidance my King I know that none of us will ever have to live in fear or abuse or endure never-ending suffering as we did before," Mana added.

"Your rule marks a new age for all of the cousin. You're the first King to rule over all of Xanadu when we aren't even living in Xanadu. You've your work cut out for you my King," Seto told him.

That's when all the members of the Court bowed to him and held up their Items high above their heads. The Items glistened and whatever remaining power they had was emitting intensely from them. "We forever pledge our allegiance to King Yami of Xanadu."

"Long live King Yami!" The citizens exclaimed clapping widely and waiting patiently for their new King to speak. All of Yami's friends just looked at them wondering if they hadn't all gone crazy and forgotten they were humans on Earth now. Still, they supposed the Xanduaions had to follow someone and it might as well be Yami.

Yami cleared his throat and waved his hands to get their attention. Once everything had died down he began to speak," Thank you all, I'm honored that you all have so much faith in me. I will do my best to lead us into a new era as we explore our newfound humanity. Even though we will now be subjected to the laws of this country I still consider myself your leader and will do my best to rule you all in a fair manner that allows us to enjoy the best of Earth. While we start new lives in this wonderful world let us not forgot our past or where we come from. To have a future one must have a past and we must remember all of it both the good and bad. I shall never be your king but I'm forever your friend and I'll remain Prince Yami Keeper so I can aid us in any way possible on Earth," Yami informed everyone who all nodded their heads in agreement to their eternal Prince. Yami smiled at his people who where finally feeling true happiness at the same time as he turned to face his mother.

"Mom," he said as he fell into her waiting arms as a mortal for the first time. Tears of joy streamed down his smoking sexy face and all his friends and the Court smiled seeing the site before them.

"Yami," she smiled then she pulled out of the embrace and spoke to him in a manner he was very unaccustomed too. "Yami Keeper, you may be 18 as of today. But my Little Angel we're going to lay down some rules right here and now and I expect them to be followed to the letter," she told him as he looked at her confused.

"1, you're curfew is 10:30 extended to 11:00 on the weekends. 2. You'll do all your chores on time without complaint, 3. I NEVER want to hear that you got drunk EVER again! You hear me?! I mean it no smokes, no drugs and no drinks ever or so help me you'll be more black and blue then that lame school uniform! 4. You cannot get a tattoo till you're 21! 5. Also, you are not to sleep with Yugi or anyone for that matter, till you're out this house, you hear me?! 6. You can't do anything unless your homework is done on time and that includes being the Prince! 7. You'll take care of your belongings and pay for what happens to them and that includes your own vehicles if you ever get one! So have I made myself clear, My Little Angel?" she asked him sternly.

This was like the first time she had to address him as a parent! Yami was blushing redder then the crimson in his hair as everyone around him was snickering at him. Well, he was mortal now and being embarrassed by your mother was far better then being abused by your false father. "I understand, Mom. I swear to uphold all the rules you've laid down for me. Even if I've got to wait to have sex with Yugi," he muttered disappointedly. He had learned you never make a woman angry or jealous because you'll be looking for a plot for your body if you do.

"Good Yami, I'm glad we understand each other. Now let's introduce every one of our friends shall we?"

Smiling as he and his mother then introduced everyone both humans and former Immortals to one another. Almost immediately they'll be having conversations as the land around them was restored to its former beauty as well. Samira seemed to be looking for someone in the sea of chaos in particular. She kept hunting until she found who she was looking for. Standing 2 feet from the Queen was Shimon who was resting his old bones under the shade of the cherry blossom tree.

Aziza along with Yugi and Yami had been wondering why Samira seemed so bent on finding this one particular soul. They all looked or listen as Samira approached Grandpa's look alike. He was dressed like Solomon although Shimon colors were different. He wore his Millennium Cap as a bandana around his head. All of them were sharing the exact same thought in their heads, "Why was this man so important to her?" They're about to find out.

He looked up at Samira who had a hopeful smile on her face. "Hello, old man. You remember me?" she asked hopefully to him. Her face faulted when he shook his face and told the young Queen, "No I don't remember you," he said with his amethyst eyes half closed. Then a wicked grin etched its way across his face, "How do you expect me to remember you when you've gained so much weight?" he told her with a laugh.

For a moment Samira and the trio said nothing then she whacked the old man across the head hard, "Oh Daddy! That joke was not funny when I was 16 it isn't funny now!"

"Ha, Ha, I couldn't resist, daughter. I've missed you so much my Angel of Dreams," as Shimon hugged his beloved daughter tightly as she did the same. It had been a very long time since father and daughter had been together as they cried as they're finally was reunited.

It took about all five seconds to realize the startling little revolution! Shimon was YAMI"S GRANDFATHER! Shimon was his mom Samira father so he was Yami maternal grandpa! Yami thought his heart was going to stop beating from finding this out. It now made sense why his sire had relentlessly harassed Shimon. Killing him would be far too easy, so letting his grandfather suffer for all eternity was better suited to him!

Yami relived yet again in his mind how nice Shimon was to him when Samira first disappeared. How he was so kindhearted as well as compassionate and now he looked back at those memories in a new light. His grandpa taught him so much and played a huge part in saving him from the Darklight, which had claimed his grandmother Solmina! This was incredible!

"Looks like you got more family then you realized Yami," Yugi remarked. He was a tad freaked out that both his and Yami's grandpa was just as much twin look alike as he and Yami were!

"Yeah, I know. Isn't it great?"

"Hey here's a thought. It's still your birthday brother! Why don't we go to some place and celebrate it? I heard Kaiba's new Club has an awesome sound system and dance floor. Hey everyone why don't we head off to Kaiba's Club to celebrate?" Aziza suggested with a twinkle to her sightless eyes.

In next to no time everyone had arrived at the humongous club. The club itself took up two blocks. It was a great mix of, nightclub, karaoke, internet café, dueling arena, and just hang out. It even had a few make-out rooms and a huge stress room where you go to release stress by smashing as many plates as you wanted too!

"Hey, Yami? Since you're the birthday boy why don't you go in first?" Kaibutt told him in an almost nice manner. Yami thanked him kindly as he went into the building, but it was pitch black like a black hole. He couldn't see anything at all.

"Where's the light switch, Kaiba? Hello Kaiba? Anyone?" he called frantically into the darkness. Someone then flipped the lights on and he nearly jumped out of his skin. An explosion of fireworks and party poppers was heard as huge golden balloons fell on top of him along with confetti. There were streamers, Duel Monster Cutouts, and bubbles on the ceiling. Standing in front of him underneath a huge banner with the words "HAPPY GOLDEN BIRTHDAY YAMI!" was all the people who loved him! There was tons of food and presents everywhere and he was thoroughly shocked!

"HAPPY GOLDEN BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY GOLDEN BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY GOLDEN BIRTHDAY PRINCE YAMI! HAPPY GOLDEN BIRTHDAY TO YOU! MAY ALL YOUR WISHES COME TRUE ON YOUR SPECIAL DAY!" they sang as Yugi slipped a party hat on his love head and kissed him.

"Well did we surprise you or what?" Yugi asked.

"I'm very surprised and happy! No one has ever celebrated my birthday like this before. Thank you aibou it means the world to me. So what does one do at a surprise party?"

"Well, we've got lots of music and dancing scheduled, not to mention some dueling later. Right now it's time to eat this delicious smorgasbord and then later open up your gifts," Mai said steering him to the front of the table. His eyes went wide as he saw all the food and with a nod from his mother began to pile his plate sky high.

The food had been donated by both Hooters and Sweet Dreams Palace so you had a lot of good food! Also, everyone had made their own homemade contribution to food as well. Samira was hiding the cake she had made until it was time for it.

She was extremely jubilant to have her son and father back in her life in addition to that her people were at last free. So she felt like celebrating just as much as her son did. He was currently doing the Cha Cha Slide lead by the talented Tea. So she went with her father to join everyone in dancing to some of the greatest music ever!

"OK follows my lead people! Now to slide to the left! Slide to the right! One hop! One hop! Take it back now! Two hops this time!" cried Tea as she busted out her moves and showed why she was the queen of the dance! They did just about every kind of dancing you can think of from conga to break dancing! They even did the limbo and Mana won that!

Mana then decided to do something she had secretly been wishing to do for a long time. With a few quick words with her parents along with telling them to get a fire extinguisher just in case this went south, she disappeared for a moment into the ladies room. When she emerged she was dressed as the Dark Magician Girl clutching tightly a thin cloth bundle. With all eyes watching her curiously she got on the stage and took a look in her father eyes and he smiled. With a deep breath, she removed what appeared to be two wands. She then hit the karaoke machine and program two songs to play "I'm a Hex Girl & Do you believe in Magic?"

"For your own safety, I advised all of you too back up away from the stage. I don't want to get anyone hurt with what I'm about too. I've practiced this secretly for a very long time and now I'm ready to strut my stuff. Still for your own safety back away please thank you very much," Mana warned the audience as the song "I'm a Hex Girl, from Scooby Doo and The Witch's Ghost" began to play loudly.

Mana really couldn't sing or dance well thus was one of the reasons her birth mom Oralee had abandon her. But she had learned a few steps and could like most people sing better with the music and lyrics around her. Still, she had gained a lot of courage over a short amount of time so she was finally ready to show her stuff. With a look of pure confident on her adorable face, she began. She began to do cheerleading like acrobats that made her look like a brunette Kim Possible as she really took it up a notch when her wands burst into flames! She began to simultaneously do the acrobats along with sing karaoke while expertly twirling flaming wands! She winked at Duke who was struck dumb as she went into the song "Do You Believe in Magic?" She ended her routine with unbelievable flip and twirls while doing "Dark Magic Attack!" and landed flawlessly on the stage with a golden explosion of fireworks.

Everyone was clapping and Duke let loose a wolf whistle at his girlfriend stellar performance. She really had set his heart aflame with that stunt! No doubt about it! Mana was hugging her parents happily before she turned to her Prince and told him that was her present to him. He was very thankful for it even more than her self-esteem had greatly improved.

"Thank you, Yami! I never felt as alive as I just did now! I've wanted to do that my whole life! During the time before we're thinking of escaping here, I spent a lot of my free time watching cheerleading on the TV. I also saw this movie one day while Seto was sick at your mother's where a blond young woman twirls batons for talent in a beauty pageant. So I just started practicing. I really glad you like it," Mana told Yami who was smiling proudly at her. Only Mahad smile of pride was bigger he was overjoyed that his daughter had worked so hard and done so well.

"We're very proud of you, Mana. This was indeed a moment of triumph for you, my daughter. You've done well as we all have. We'll all should feel great pride and a sense of humility when we achieve a dream," Isis spoke softly as hugged her daughter tightly as well.

"Well, I think now a good time as any to open the rest of my presents! So let me at them!" Yami spoke eagerly as he looked at the mountain just waiting for him to take apart. He ran right over to them about to tear them all apart when his mother gave him a look.

'Yami, before you open your present and make a huge mess, remember to say thank you to everyone for their gifts, even if you don't like them, ok? I don't want you to be rude at all," Samira told him in her parenting tone of voice. She was just being a good mother and he knew it.

"Yes Mom I will remember my manners," Yami told his mother when his grandpa spoke to him "You should also help with the clean up later on. It was a very nice gesture all your friends here, did for you, throwing you a party. You ought to be kind enough to help clean up as well grandson."

"Yes, Shim… Grandpa, I will assist with the clean up as well," he informed him with a sheepish smile. It was going to take some serious adjusting to get used to the idea of calling Shimon "Grandpa" but if he could see Samir as his father and Aziza as his sister it won't be too hard.

The Court decided to give him their gifts first. Shada and Karim had combined their talents to write a beautifully illustrated book on the legends of all the many different worlds in the universe. He thanked them happily and was impressed by how detailed and well written the book was. He suggested they get jobs as a writer/illustrator team for children books. They both agreed to take him up on his suggestion.

Shadi's gift was very special. The Spirit of Law decided to give his Prince glass figurines of all his favorite duel monsters and there was even one of him and Yugi. "I thought you might like them. Glass blowing is a secret hobby of mine and I hope you enjoy them."

"Thank you, Shadi I promise to take very good care of them. Whose next? I think I'll open the one from Mahad and Isis. I wonder what you guys got me, Oh wow where did you get these!" Yami exclaimed as he unwrapped not one, but two beautiful laminated wooden plaques. One of them showed an angel flying through the heavens while the other was of the Egyptian Gods surrounding him protectively.

"We used a little magic on the second one, but the first one we bought at a religion store. I thought it was lovely, but Mahad insisted we give to make one showing you with your favorite Divine Beings. Your welcome my Prince," Isis said smiling while Mahad just laughed at Yami's enthusiasm.

"Here Yami this is my gift. I hope you like it," Shimon said handing his grandson a small box. Gingerly he took the box and was surprised by what he saw. Inside were two platinum rings with a small cluster of canary diamonds on them. Inside the rings were the words "Forever mine". Yami gulped and quickly hid the gift slightly embarrassed that his grandfather would give him a promise/wedding ring set. Noticing the grin on the old man face he knew that Shimon had done this on purpose. "Thank you, Grandpa, I'm sure that I'll make use of them someday."

"Why are you blushing redder then a tomato cuz? Well I hope you enjoy my gift it's not much, but I think you'll like it still," Seto said giving him his gift. Yami smiled as he saw that it was a picture of him and Seto carved in driftwood. The scene dictated them battling while Seto was kicking his butt. (Think the tablet from the show).

"I love it cousin. With this hanging above my bed, I will always remember to be humble. Thank you all my old friends for such lovely and wonderful gifts. I know you put a lot of thought into them and had only a little time to get them ready. Now let's see what my new friends have for me. I think I'll start with your Tea."

"Here you go Yami. Its CD I made with all my favorite songs on it. That includes 'I hope you dance, Who Says You Can't Go Home, When I Grow Up, Go Figure, and Bad Boy"'. I know you love music so when you're practicing on improving what you call dancing I hope that this helps," Tea told him giggling a bit.

"Me next! Yami, you are way too serious my friend. Even when you were just pretending to be human it was like you Batman or something. So teach you how to relax I bought you this deluxe practical joke kit complete with whoopee cushion and joke book. Well, what do you think man?" Joey demanded as he shoved the gift into his hands.

"Ugh thank you? I guess I never thought much about my sense of humor before, but I guess I could make some improvements. So Tristan what did you get me?"

"Well, my gift is a little plain compared to the others. I was going to get you a Duel Monster poster, but the store was out so I got you one of this lush tropical jungle scene labeled Tropical Dreams. You got a waterfall, dolphins, birds, flowers everything!" Tristan admitted sheepishly as he handed the tube over.

"Your gift is very thoughtful and mature Tristan. I can't wait to hang it up in my room. So who's next? Um, Gran…sorry Mr. Moto, (man this is confusing) may I open your gift next?"

"Here you go Yami boy and you can keep calling me Grandpa Solomon if that helps you out. This is a rare treat, my boy. I picked up this little beauty on one of my archeological digs," Solomon told the boy as he tore off the wrapping to reveal an intact Senet game set. Yami knew from his studies it was sort of like an ancient version of chess. He gave Solomon a big hug thanking him for the gift.

"Well since Mr. Moto gave you a game I hope you like my game as well Yami. Here's your home version of Dungeon Dice Monsters for you to play. Maybe if you practice enough you'll beat me," Duke laughed as Yami shoved him gently for the gibe.

"Careful Devlin or I might forbid you from dating one of my subjects. Just kidding Duke really I love this. It should be fun learning a new game. So Wakana, Bakura I can sense you're both dying to give me my presents so why don't you go next?"

"Well, I'll go first because I don't know how much longer I can control your gift. Prince Yami may I present to you your new pet. Meet Willie the Dalmatian pup. I took one look at him and knew he was for you," Bakura said as he desperately tried to control the rambunctious puppy. The little animal jerked the leash right out of Bakura's hand causing him to hit the ground face first. The pup didn't notice, but raced over and jumped into Yami's lap giving him big wet kisses. "Oh yeah, he isn't exactly trained yet. Don't give me that look Kaiba I made sure he did his business outside before bringing him inside so your club won't get soiled."

"Bakura I don't know how I can ever express my gratitude. Never before in my life have I had a pet. I promise to train him and take very good care of him. I only hope he gets along with Aziza's cat Tess."

"I'm sure you'll think of something and if worse comes to worst you can use magic to discipline them. Here's my gift Yami, here are some hybrid orchids I developed in my spare time. You have to water them twice a day and make sure to give them regular cuttings every few days," Wakana told him as she handed a reddish purple flower in a ceramic pot.

"I'll be sure to attend to them daily. They remind me of the Hope Tree blossoms. I wish that we could have brought the tree here along with some of the other fauna."

"Don't worry about grandson I took care of it. I brought some seeds and saplings to be transplanted here. In a few months times, we'll have a beautiful garden just like the one you grew up with."

"Thank you, Grandpa, that means a lot to me. I'm sure with Wakana assisting you the work will proceed quickly. Professor Hawkins, Rebecca would you like to go next?"

"Here Yami! Now that your going to be living on Earth your going to need to learn more about Earth's rich history. I have assembled a collection of books about Earths greatest philosophers, leaders, and other important people. Amongst those you will find great literary achievements, historical records, and a few fun books," Arthur explained handing him a very heavy box filled with tons of books.

"Mine is a gift to stimulate that genius mind of yours. I got you a Rubik cube! The goal is to line up all the colors on the same side. Once you master that you can practice doing behind your back at super speeds!"

"Thank you, Rebecca, I'll make sure to keep my brain stimulated so you can beat me next time we have a battle of the brains. Serenity, Mai may I please have your gifts?"

"Um well, mine is a book of poetry. I hope you like them," Serenity told him shyly.

"I got you two things Yami. One is for fun. It's a ghost plushy I picked up at the fair a few weeks back. The second is a spirit board complete with a booklet on all things supernatural. Hope you don't accidentally upset anything evil with it," Mai informed him.

"You have my word I'll be very careful. So there are only a few more gifts to open so whose should I open next?" Yami mused.

"Yami? Could you close your eyes for a few minutes? I'll be right back with your gift," Kisara voiced. Yami did as she said and kept his eyes tightly shut. After a few moments, Kisara told him he could open them. What he saw made him scream in delight. "Happy Birthday Yami, I hope you like it."

"Like it, I love it! My very own custom made motorcycle! Look it even has a matching pair of helmets!" Yami exclaimed as he ran his hand over the beautiful bike. It had fins in the back, streamline body and a powerful engine. It was a beauty and it was all his!

"I guess you really are a guy if you're drooling over a vehicle. Well if you're a guy then you have to love manga. I got a few popular Magna for you. If you like them then you can buy more," Mokuba told the Prince handing him a small bundle. Yami smiled thanking the boy for his thoughtfulness. He then turned to face Kaiba wondering what gift the CEO had decided to bestow on him if any.

"Normally I'm not one to give people gifts, but I decided to make an exception for you. Here, a pack of rare Duel Monster cards and your own personalized duel disk. I noticed you didn't have one. I expect to see you competing in the next Duel Monsters tournament. You and I are due for a rematch," Kaiba told him. He smiled at the confused prince who graciously accepted the gift.

"Thank you Kaiba, I won't forget this. Rest assures when we duel again I plan to kick your butt again! Aziza sister why don't you give me your gift next," Yami suggested.

"My gifts are those two big boxes over there. Go ahead and open them," Aziza said with a bit of mischief to her voice. When Yami opened the boxes a flood of designer clothes buried him. Aziza was laughing as she helped him to his feet. "Try not to wrinkle them. Now that you're Earthbound I expect you to wear something besides that stupid school uniform."

"I don't understand where did you get the money for all of these outfits?" Yami asked as held up one of them. It was a black short sleeve shirt, silver jacket, gold belt, designer blue jeans, and sneakers.

"I have a credit card with a great history. All it took was a few well-placed calls and searching for bargains and I got you a brand new fashionable wardrobe for only five hundred dollars. Don't worry I've already paid off the balance. Oh, I also made you a birthday card, hope you like it," she said handing him a drawing. Yami looked at the card smiling. It showed the two of them hugging one another. The details were perfect.

"Thanks, sis I'll be sure to save this. Mom, Dad what did you get me?" Yami asked as he turned to them.

"Two things, my son. When I first came to Earth I knew deep in my heart that one day we'd be reunited. So I opened up an account for you at the bank. Every month I deposit a portion of my salary into it. Now after all this time the money has grown quite a bit with interest. It's about fifteen thousand dollars now. It should be enough to help send you to college and be able to support yourself when you move out. Don't look so shocked I'm your mother after all. It's my job to take care of you," Samira told her shocked son and the crowd was still repeating the number under their breath.

"My gift is something a little more personal. It took awhile Yami, but we finally got all the paperwork taken care of. As of today I am your official father and I for one couldn't be happier to have you as my son," Samir said as Yami fell into his arms hugging him tightly. Tears streamed down his face. At last, he had a real father.

After a few minutes he let go of Samir and turned to Yugi, the only person left to give him a gift. "Aibou, you have already given me so much. My life, my freedom, and my humanity. You even gave me your heart. What could you possibly have left to give me?"

"I can only give you this," Yugi said softly standing up on his tiptoes and kissing Yami full on the lips. A little startled Yami quickly recovered and kissed him back. Neither boy notices the glow emitting from their bodies or the rainbow wings sprouting from their backs. When they stopped Yami looked shocked to see his wings again wondering if was back to being an Immortal. "Aibou I know how much you love to fly and that your only regret about being human was that you would never fly again. Between my powers and yours, I think we have enough to go flying anytime we want."

"Thank you, Yugi. This is the best birthday gift I could ask for."

"Your welcome now how about that birthday cake? I'm starving!"

Everyone was laughing and all their stomachs were rumbling in agreement. They wanted a cake! Cakes for birthdays and wedding always for some reason tasted so good. Yami took his seat of honor as the lights went out and then out of the pitch-black emerged his mom. She was carrying a huge cake on a tray. It was shaped like his Puzzle but instead of the Eye in the center, it was the Crystal Heart of Xanadu with wings. In the center of it was screened picture of what made Yami's heartbeat it was of all the ones he loved.

Snapping her fingers the 18 candles all lit up and she ready her digital camera. "Ok honey, now make a wish and blow out the candles. I suggest you do it quickly because a few of the natives look like hungry wolves," Samira said with a glance at the boys.

"A wish? I get to make a wish?" he asked out loud in a confused tone.

"That's right. It's a very long-standing tradition, brother. Before you can have cake and ice cream you make a wish on your candles and then blow them out. But you cannot tell anyone what the wish was or it won't come true," Aziza informed her brother of the silly but time-honored tradition.

"I understand that Aziza, it's just I don't have a wish needing to be granted. I made my wish come true. So I don't have any wishes to make on these pretty candles. However, I would like to bestow to others the opportunity to have their wishes granted. If anyone has wishes they like granted speak now and I'll see if I can grant it," Yami asked for everyone.

None of his human friends had any wishes that they like granted, and all the people who been sent free all agreed that their wish for freedom was all they wanted. However, the Court did have a few wishes that they'd desire to be granted. After so many years of faithful service, it was time to be a little selfish.

Shadi knew exactly what he is wish was, "My Prince I humbly ask if its in your great powers as the Heart of Xanadu if you may bestow onto me my own flesh and bone. I desire nothing else but to be corporal and not a spirit anymore. That is my wish, Prince Yami," Shadi informed him humble with a hopeful look in his big blue eyes. What he said shocked everyone, but the Court. They hadn't realized Shadi wasn't alive.

Yami simply smiled at Shadi and walked over to the Spirit and placed his right hand on his turban. With his eyes closed, he took a deep breath and then released it, "I Prince Yami herby grant the individual known as Shadi his heart's desire," as a golden glow for a few moments flooded Shadi's spirit body. It tingled like his whole body was asleep, and then it shocked him like he got a static discharge.

"Arise Shadi, you now are human. Feel my hand on your face as proof of your newfound flesh," Yami told him as he graced his face soothingly. Shadi eyes wept tears of joy as he could feel his heartbeat and feel the soothing touch of his Prince's hand.

"Thank You," was all he was able to say as Shada and Karim now wanted their heart's desire

"Our beloved Prince we both only desire to spend the rest of existence carrying out duties that we love and not the unspeakable ones we've been forced to do for countless eons. If you're able to give us honorable work we'd be content," they both said together as Yami promised that he get them employment at the library.

Mahad and Isis had no wish since he'd already granted them their desire of marriage. He still performed a blessing on them that Faith had taught him. To ensure that they've got a long in addition to a happy life together furthermore they'd be safe from evil.

Mana had a wish but hers was something made him laugh! He reached beyond him and yanked Duke forward along with ripped out the band holding his hair in his ponytail. He then pushed him at Mana who then kissed him passionately with one of her feet up in the air. It was obvious to them that Mana had learned how the French kiss and she was doing it quite well! He wistfully used his magic to have a mix of cherry blossom, chrysanthemums, roses petals mixed with stardust rain on them.

Seto then walked over to his cousin. He had his blue eyes staring at the ground. He at first was having a very hard time speaking as he couldn't even get a syllable out of his mouth. He finally got some courage with a glance at Kisara whom he sensed his Soul Friend now resided in.

"Yami I only have one desire in my heart. But I don't know even if you, one of the Legendary Hearts could grant me what my heart yearns for the most," he said still looking at the floor.

"Seto? I cannot help you, my cousin, unless you tell me your wish," Yami told him as he made him face him.

"I want my mother Aida back. I want what was stolen from me when I was but three years old! I want her! That is all I want! That one-eyed bastard stole her from me with his cursed blue phoenix! Is there any way for you to bring her back?" he asked in a breaking voice as tears fell from his blue eyes that were consumed by such turmoil.

"I'm not sure cousin if I have the power to undo death, but seeing as how your mother was Immortal at the time of her death perhaps she isn't dead. It's possible your ex-father merely destroyed her body and her spirit is trapped in limbo. I will attempt to bring her back, but it will take your knowledge of the ancient arts to create a new body for her. Are you willing to try?"

"Of course I am Yami! Um, there's just one slight problem with the spell. Um, anybody I make won't look like a person until they inhabit, but that's not the problem. The problem is the body will um be without clothes," Seto managed to squeak out in embarrassment.

"Excuse me, but the dragon inside me says that if I assist you then your mother's new body will be formed perfectly with clothes on her. I would be honored to help. Just tell me what to do," Kisara spoke up as she stood next to Seto.

"Just follow my lead and when I tell you to release your powers. I need absolute quiet! Alright here goes nothing," Seto whispered. Focusing his energies he used his Rod to enhance his remaining divinity as he cast his spell. The words flowed smoothly from his lips and the group took a step back as a lump of clay formed in mid-air. The mass twisted and turned about as it started to take shape.

That was Kisara cue. Her eyes lit up and unearthly aura surrounded her body. A mighty roar was heard from her as she tapped into the Queen of the Dragons power. White lightening darted from her fingertips and laced across the sky. When her lighting and Seto's magic melded together the clay had been transformed into a beautiful woman wearing a stylish lavender dress. The woman was fairly tall, with bright blue eyes, long ebony hair and ivory skin. Her expression was vacant seeing as how there was no soul.

"Now it's my turn cousin. Heart of Xanadu gives me the power to restore Aida to the realm of the living!" Yami commanded. His body lit up from the power of the Heart. Without knowing why he placed his hand on her forehead. The energy danced from his fingertips and into the clay body giving it life. The shock of actually accomplishing his goal was enough to make him step back. "Did it work?"

"Mother? Are you okay?" Seto asked anxiously.

"Seth? Is that you? Oh, Seth, I've missed you so much my son," Aida wept as she embraced her son for the first time in years. Seto hugged her back tightly tears of joy falling from his eyes. He looked up at his cousin and mouthed the words thank you.

"After that little miracle, I wonder what else you can do Yami," Yugi whispered.

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling I know what my grandfather's wish is. However, to pull it off I need both yours and Aziza's help."

"You sure you have the energy to do whatever needs to be done now, brother? Maybe you should rest."

"No, I might never get another chance like this. Together with your help, we're going to free the only other victim of the Darklight Ritual, my grandmother Solmina. Aziza, I need you to use your powers to locate her body and bring it back here. Yugi and I will need to go to the Shadow Realm and reclaim her soul. Think you can handle it?"

"Does a dragon breathe fire? Don't answer that I'll see what I can do. You two, be careful. The Shadow Realm isn't a place you want to get lost in," Aziza told them before tapping into her Oracle powers and scanning the cosmos for Solmina's body. Combining her acute sense of hearing with her new powers she was able to locate her grandmother's body. It was currently floating peacefully in its dream casket by the beautiful Orion Nebula. She then took off to get her back.

The two Hearts linked hands together and focused on projecting their souls into the Shadow Realm. Within seconds they found themselves once again in the cold, dark, and evil place. Yugi shivered in fear as he heard a wraith laughing manically nearby. "This place is so huge and it's so dark. How are we ever going to find your grandmother's soul?"

"I suggest we do as Father's says. We shine a light to banish the evil away. The light of our hearts will lead us to her I'm sure. Come remain focus and let the light of your golden heart lead the way," Yami told him as the pair spread their wings and flew rapidly off.

In the 'heart' of the Shadow Realm, where it was the darkest in addition to coldest was Zork. He was a massive revolting monster. He was known by countless names on limitless worlds, but all knew he was the very source of evil. Zork himself was a Heart, however, he was the Heart of Evil. He was extremely pissed off that after waiting eons he was now forever denied the Two Hearts of Legends. He'd been significantly satisfied when he had caused the extinction of the Xanadu universe, yet very pissed off he failed to get its Heart. He'd then been forced to wait patiently for his unknowing followers to fulfill his plans for him in this universe. But even his most powerful puppet King Aknamkanon of Neo Xanadu had proven to be nothing more then a pathetic little twit!

He was now sitting on his throne of bloody shadows as he attempted to rid himself of this fury in his favorite pastime. He, along with his two favorite pet wraiths, who looked like an evil version of Bakura and Marik, was mercilessly attacking someone bound to a black crystal cross. It was the only soul that he was successfully given through his Darklight Ritual, Solmina.

Like her grandson, Solmina was completely naked held in place by the dead white hands of death. Her lovely form was bloody and severely bruised with greenish gray skin. Even her gold Millennium Earrings now seemed to at last lose their shine. She was still able to scream out in anguish as she was once more brutally attack. "Don't you ever tire of this Zork? Surely there must be some other souls you have to torment for all eternity?"

"Ah, but none of them are as powerful or as interesting as yours my dear. Even after centuries of torture you still refuse to give in. Your fierce nature is very appealing, but soon enough you will surrender your soul to me. Once you have given in the real fun begins," Zork told her as he stroked her chin with one of his fingertips.

Solmina spits at him while glaring daggers. She would never surrender her soul to him. Once he had her power he would be strong enough to break free from this evil Shadow Realm. But that wasn't her worst he could do. What Zork wanted from her made her sick inside.

When she had first arrived in the Shadow Realm she had fought with all her might to get free. She wanted to see her daughter and husband once more. Whenever Zork beat her up she sensed there was something more to it. It was only after the wraiths Bakura and Marik got into a fight over who got to drink her blood first that she learned the awful truth. Zork was looking for a powerful soul to become his mate. He wanted Solmina to become his queen and bear him an heir powerful enough to take over the universe. It was, for this reason, she continued to fight and pray for a miracle. But after all this time she was beginning to weaken.

"Why don't you give up Lady Solmina? You can avoid further pain by just letting go," Bakura's evil double taunted.

"Instead of being your tortures we'd be your servants. You can't possibly believe that you'll be rescued from the Shadow Realm. It's impossible!" Marik's double informed her.

"They speak the truth my darling. Countless centuries have passed since you came to my kingdom and no one has ever attempted to rescue you. You've been forgotten why not embrace your destiny as Queen of the Shadows?" Zork asked her.

"I will never be your Zork. My heart belongs to Shimon. You can do whatever you want to me, but I'm not going to ahh!" Solmina screamed as her soul was once again bombarded by shadow creatures trying to rip her apart.

"I grow weary of your continuous rejections so I will make this simple. Give yourself to me or I shall use my powers to decimate your beloved Shimon's soul. You have ten seconds to answer. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,"

Solmina opens her mouth to tell him she'd given in when a brilliant light filled the room. She screamed along with Zork and his pets as the brilliance nearly blinded them. She had spent so much time in the darkness the light was nearly killing her. Squinting she was able to make out the outline of two boys with rainbow wings hovering in the air.

"Leave my grandmother's soul alone Zork! Release her and I will spare your miserable life," Yami commanded fiercely to the Lord of the Shadow Realm.

"So the Heart of Xanadu has decided to battle me on my own turf for one soul? How cute and looks like you brought the Heart of Earth with you. I thought I would never be able to take your powers for mine when your miserable father failed to kill you, but now your mine for the taking!" Zork shouted as he turned his attention to the two boys.

"I don't think so shadow creep. You aren't touching our Hearts or Solmina's soul anymore!" Yugi informed him of shooting a ball of light at the two wraiths. The creatures withered on the floor in agony as the light ripped them apart. "I just destroyed your two pets so why don't you give up."

"Those pets hardly had any power. You'll find destroying me will be more difficult!" Zork said unleashing a massive shadow ball at them. The two Hearts dodged it and soon a fierce fight between light and dark began. Zork had the home field advantage, but he didn't know the true power of the Hearts of Legend until it was too late. Once Yami and Yugi became one it was all over. While they couldn't kill Zork they were able to weaken him significantly enough that he had to limp off to recover. Once that was done the two separated and freed Solmina.

"Grandmother it is good to finally meet you. If you come with us will take you back to Mother and Grandpa," Yami instructed her as the trio left the Shadow Realm for the final time.

Aziza had just returned from retrieving Solmina's body from the Orion Nebula when the boys appeared with her soul. Linking hands together the three of them managed to bring the battered soul and broken body back together to form a healthy and happy woman. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you've done for me."

Yami hugged his whole family lovingly happy that all the ones he loved were at last happy and safe. He went to his cake and blew out the candles. He then started to give the slice away one by one, however, when it came to giving a slice to Aziza she wasn't happy.

"Hey! Your slice has more frosting then mine! I can smell it! And frosting the best part!" she yelled at him as she tried to yank his plate from him, "Hey it's my slice and I want the one with the most frosting because it does taste so good, now give it back!" he demanded as they played tug of war for a few moments when Yugi broke them up.

"Hey! Here an idea, why don't you just give her a slice with more frosting? It's pretty silly if you ask me to fight over who cake has more frosting. Even if it's so delicious," Yugi said as he licked his fingertips.

"Fighting?" They both said at the same time as they looked at each other and began laughing. Everyone looked at them as if they'd lost their minds. Then they both said at the same time, "Gomenasai!"

"I can't believe it! We just had our first augment and it's over the cake!"

"Well be glad it didn't escalate into WWIII! C'mon I'll get you a better piece, sister."

Later that night after cleaning up everything thing and all went home Yugi and Yami were on the roof of the club. Yami's parents were working out the last of the details with his people and his mom was enjoying spending time with her parents. They'd decided to come live with them. She planned to convert the storeroom into a bedroom.

Yami's thought's turned to his Court smiling as he thought about their new lives. Shadi was going to become a judge for family court so he could make up for all the evil rulings he had been forced to make. Karim and Shad were happy at the library and had even decided to take up his suggestion and become a writer/illustrator team. Mahad and Isis had already settled in nicely with their new careers and Mana would be joining him at school starting tomorrow. Seto had gotten the best deal out of them all. He and his mom were moving in with the Kaiba's. Aida was to become head of the cafeteria at Kaiba Corp and would get to babysit Mokuba. Meanwhile, Seto became Kaiba's partner. In exchange for free room and board, he would pose as Kaiba at the boring staff meetings so he and Kisara could make out more often. It was a sweet deal

As both boys gazed at the crystal blue heavens hand in hand they were both happy. They need not say any words to tell the other what the both felt in their hearts. They just smiled and jumped off the building only to fly upon their wings. They kissed in midair and soon were joined by Aziza enjoy a simple flight. As the ascended high into the heavens Yami was smiling big because at long last his heart had its wings.

The End.

"Please stick around for the author note and if you got anything you like to ask about please let me know and I'll answer it! Thanks!


	20. Author's Note

Author Note

I like to take this time to thank all who read and reviewed "If My Heart Had Wings" It meant a lot to me seeing with each chapter my stats go up and up. All of you that faithful reviewed I love to give a picture too. I really liked to thank YGO Cupid, Protector of the Nameless and S2Teennovelist you in particular for leaving the long detail reviews I wanted.

I love all who reviewed and sent me a pm when I sent them a reply for a more detail answer, I've saved some of them. However, I do but sometimes some people like me would like a little more then just "Great Story! Update Soon!" it feels sorta like a let down especially when you consider how much I wrote that you could've commented on. Again thanks for the reviews and now too answers a lot of questions.

Where did the idea for the story come from This may be a surprise but it came from reading a lot of fanfictions with one of the boys being a merman? I was reading like 20 of them and I got tired of it and wanted wings. Wings are a hell of a lot easier to draw then fins.

The Plotline: I had the basic plotline worked out the same time I was doing my last Yu-gi-oh fic my first try at a Yaoi, "Aibou," it was a sequel to my first Yu-gi-oh fic "Atem's Key" If you loved this as much as I think you did I recommend you read those two as well. You learn a lot more about my OCS Aziza, Samira, and Aziza's parents Samir and Efra.

The basic plotline never changed much. It was always the same idea. That Atem was a winged immortal prince who was abused by his father and fled to Earth to escape marriage and learned humanity and feel in love. That never changed nor did the concept of the Hearts or him losing his feathers. This story was about the journey everyone makes in becoming human.

Morals and Lessons: I wanted to write in a creative way my thoughts, beliefs, and feelings about humanity. I really do believe that humanity and immortally is the ability to care about others more then yourself. Love is humanity and immortally. So I was attempting to show my POV on what I consider important in life without being ridiculed like I'm in my real life. Mostly my family and a lot of nameless jerks on the Internet have ripped me apart and belittle me for my thoughts. Especially my older brother Kyle!

It wasn't easy to pick who and what lessons everyone was going to teach Atem/Yami on humanity. It had to be something they knew about and could teach. But for a few like Joey, Tristan, and Tea it wasn't easy even though they're in almost every episode of the show! I liked to thank YGO Cupid for helping me in that department. After it was deciding who was going to teach him it became a matter of how they do it and find the feathers. This story took place over three months remember so it was time limited.

Inspirations: I drew inspirations for this story from a lot of different places. From Disney, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Sailor Moon, Teen Titans, Covent, MASH, W.I.T.C.H. and most importantly my own life! You'll learn over the rest of this what came in where.

Xanadu: Xanadu is really a poem believe it or not. I heard about in one of the last W.I.T.C.H. episodes. Me and my twin sister Kali were both wondering what they could possibly use for titles in last few episodes and that word popped up. It was perfect! As you can see Xanadu was really an irony to its name. It was anything but a paradise. You saw all of the cruel as a well dishonorable lifestyle and stupid ways of life that the world over has done all in one package. How no one could live at all. I don't know a hell of a lot about laws or traditions and such but I think we all should be free to live any kind of life we want as long as it doesn't endanger the lives of others.

Music: I did find this was a very creative way for Yami to deal with his Ascending. It also gave me the chance to show you what I like to listen too. Though YGO Cupid was the one who suggested the songs that were mention when we first find out about the I-pod. Music is universal and it was very cool to share all that I chose.

Ascending: The concept of Ascending came from the movie "The Covent" Kali and I rented, well she rented it. I rent Yu-gi-oh the movie so Dad would burn it for me. In the movie, the warlocks go through Ascending as Yami did. Their powers reach their peak at the exact time they become 18 but for them, it's a double edge sword. The power gets addictive and if they use too much they become old. The main character dad was only 43 and he'd looked 100! So that why I said the Divine Beings had to be careful or they winded up in a coma as Mana did. Also, the act of willing their power came from this, in the movie not only when you will your power away to someone they get it, but you die the minute it's done. I want to have this happen to show that one even Immortal goes through puberty and two it did cause him problems and help the plot.

Arranged Marriages & Gender Laws: Well it obvious with this kind of society and story it wouldn't work unless it was being a force to marry someone betrothed to you. Finding out it's someone stupider then Paris Hilton only makes it worse! The Gender Laws of why boys and girls were raised apart unless they're of the elite class? That came from an episode of Star Trek Deep Space Nine if you can believe it or not. In the episode, Luxwanna Troi came to Odo seeking help. Like always she was looking for a husband mostly because she is alone. Her latest one got her knocked up and it was a boy. But his culture states firmly that boys and girls are to be raised in the same sex environment till they are 16! This horrified Luxwanna who refused to lose another person in her life. She had lost a lot of people include the husband she loved most Ian Andrew, father to Deanna Troi, of TNG and her daughter Kestra who died when she was six in a drowning accident. So she wasn't about to lose her unborn son as well. Odo in end up marrying her long enough so he gets possession of the child and then she left to go home to Betazeid. I love it a lot. Wherever Mrs. Troi goes one thing is crystal clear you're going to be in for a laughing fit! Unless you're a guy then you better watch out! LOL! "Ensign set a course to Betazeid, Warp 9!" Captain Picard after he'd pretend to be a jealous lover to save her from a Ferengi. LOL!

Tears and Blood: In my book "Which Witch?" it states that witches and warlocks cannot shed tears. So that where that came from the idea for the blood is along the same line. Also because none of they couldn't cry or bleed they couldn't expel any of the pain trapped within them.

Hearts: The concept of the Hearts was a combination of Disney's Atlantics, W.I.T.C.H. and Sailor Moon. The Atlantics part comes from the fact the Heart is sentient and has its own mind and a symbiotic relationship. The W.I.T.C.H. part comes in the form of the necklace that the Crystal Heart was kept in. The actual look of the Crystal Heart of Xanadu comes from Sailor Moon Super or as me and Kali calls it "The Heart Snatchers Saga"

I like to take this time to say something. I find a lot of things between Serena, Yugi, and Atem that are the same. I see a lot of the same things in both Yu-gi-oh and Sailor Moon and I did a picture with 12 things listed that I found alike. If you don't agree with me, it fine. It's just my opinion. But to me, Sailor Moon and Yu-gi-oh aren't that different.

Items and Harness: As you can see all the Items from the show were here as well. But like S2Teennovelist asked "What about the others stuff, the crown, earrings, cap," I try to clarify. If you missed it I said that every Divine Beings was at birth given an Item to enhance their magic. That Item is part of them forever which is why everyone still has theirs at the end. I just chose randomly what to bestow to Shimon, Solmina, and Samira. The harness that Yami wears throughout the story? Is based on what Angel in X3 was wearing before he was about to be given the "cure." The Darklight Item was based off the Pyramid of Light as you figured out I'm sure. The Acornia Stone that was used to help save Yami? It was based on the Golden Crystal from Sailor Moon Super S, aka Dream Searchers.

Atem or Yami: The idea of using these two names came from the masterpieces of Spirited Away. When Chihiro becomes Sen after Yubbaa steals her name, she over the movie as Sen grows and matures and when she becomes Chihiro again at the end she is able to take what she learned as Sen with her. I want that to be the same for Atem/Yami. In many cultures, the world over your name is very important and it's magic. It does define who you give you both limits and identity. Furthermore, it showed both his parents viewpoints on life and fit the prophecy.

Major themes: If you got this, some of the major themes were the following. 1. We all make mistakes. No one I mean no is perfect. I don't believe God is perfect either. 2. Beauty is found within. 3. Love will save us always. 4. Friendship is very important. 5. Ultimately what matters in life are the lives around you and not the replaceable possessions! 6. Bad things do happen but you don't have to let them rule you. 7. Love has no limits or boundaries at all. 8. Everything in life is from a POV and we must learn to really listen and respect others. 9. Fighting is pointless. 10. Learn from the past to save the future.

Feathers: I got the idea of the feathers in rather weird but normal for me the way. A lot of the time I'm doing something and then bam! I suddenly remember something from ages ago! No joke! One time I was cleaning the middle stall in the women bathroom at work and suddenly I'm remembering the episode on Rugrats when Chuckie pill bug Milton died and the babies had a funeral in Tommy's backyard for him!

LOL, I'm surprised at times what I can pull out of my mind! I remembered a clip from the movie "Michael" about an angel who lost his feathers when he did miracles so that's where that came from. Originally the feathers played no other part then signifying that Yami had learned a lesson in humanity. On the other hand, then an idea came from your reviews. I felt I use them to help get the gang to Xanadu. They're going anyway might as well make it more fun!

Sub-plots for the Court: In any good story there is also something else going on. I wanted to show how the Xanadu lifestyle had hurt different people. So I began by developing plotline around my observation in the Memory Saga. In my mind when watch it I saw that it did seem that Mahad and Isis shared some romantic feelings. So their plotline told both the story of the old Xanadu in addition to how they been denied love by such absurd customs. Mana was showing the after picture. How many times a lot of people are the unlucky recipient of some type of negative treatment for an unknown reason. I liked how she slowly began to grow and learn and by the end was very much a better person. Seto? He was very much dealing with a lot of the same issues as his cousin so they could be related. Shimon? I cannot I mean I really can't believe none of you picked it up at all. After all the hints I dropped that Shimon was, in fact, Samira father! I mean I only kept saying over and over how bad the guy had it!

As to why Shada, Karim, and Shadi aren't heavily focused on? It's simply not enough detail on them. I mean all we know about Shada is that he's Odion past-self, he had the Key and his monster was Two-Headed Jackal. Other then that? Nothing! Karim even less. All I knew about him was that he was in possession of the scales and was supposedly Marik's past self. It was Kali who helped add in their parts feeling they needed to be remembered. Shadi was always an enigma, but Kali figured out a way the Spirit could help out. Since he was a spirit he didn't need an Item although I did mention his mask to keep up the connection to Memory World. Without Kali adding in their small parts I couldn't have created such a balanced act between the Court on Earth and those stuck in Xanadu.

Out of the Ordinary Events: I will say again I love it that you enjoy the story. But I found it very frustrating when each of your reviews came in and not one of you seemed to mention a number of events that I did. I'm not going to yell at you but it still made me feel disheartened when you didn't say a word about events like 1. Yami's wetting the bed. 2. The Sex Incident. 3. Getting Drunk. 4. Mana's Period. Just too name a few events. I did that one too have a few laughs and two to show you that our favorite Pharaoh is just a normal kid under it all. He isn't a god he's a human being. Each event had its own significant meaning as you'll later learn but it still hurt my feelings greatly after I asked you all kindly many times to be a bit more detail in your reviews. It hard enough to draw these events but you could've said something about them. It did hurt me, I'm flattery by all the attention yet I can't change the fact I feel hurt that most of you didn't say a word about these things. My neighbor Andi and co-workers who got no clue who the hell Yugi is found a lot to more to say. This isn't yelling at you. Just maybe in the future, you could think more things to say then just "UPDATE SOON"

Dedications: I did those dedications to those people for a few reasons. 1. I do love them and they do awesome work. You all should really look at the things that they've done. 2. I want to show who I like and help them get some more people looking at their stuff. I'm a very kind soul.

Title: The title comes from a Faith Hill song I like. It also stated what the story was about. Since it's made clear that those wings are what makes them immortal, yet his heart didn't have wings so he wanted them. Arainaina made an amv to that song on my request so I suggest you watch it. You'll see why I pick it for them among many others. Also, each story tile was made to fit the contents of its chapter.

Food and Drinks: I mention a lot of food and for the most part it's what I eat. I don't eat any kind of veggies and I wasn't joking with the broccoli thing. In addition to that, I loathe coffee. I can't stand it and the one time I was forced to drink I spit it right back out. I don't drink tea either but its nicer then coffee.

Cars: The Chevy mentioned when Yugi's was having his flashback about the hospital incident? That my car, well my dad owns it I just drive it. As of June 14th, 2007 I've had my licenses for one year. The Sunfire Pontiac that Samira owns? That's my dad car! My grandpa's the one in the family with the motorcycle. However, Yami's one is based on Brooklyn from Gargoyles, the bike that gets blown up!

The Prophecy & Oracle: Well, to be honest, I wasn't planning at the beginning of either. But it was something needed. I knew I need a reason why Aknamkanon wanted Atem back. He clearly didn't love him at all and I need something to give those trapped in Xanadu hope. Thus both the Prophecy and Oracle were created. The Prophecy was simply saying that the love between the Two Hearts would be what saved one an all.

The Oracle? That was a soul in addition to the guardian of the Hearts and daughter of Halakti? That was Kara, my online friend from Deviant. Here why. A few months back she had asked me about a matter of the heart and I gave her the best answer I could. A short time later I defended her and her friend when some boneheads were stupidly putting the dryer at work in front of where I dump my mop water. Then I the next time we spoke she told me she took a bullet to the hand to protect her best friend and roommate Maya who was being harassed by a boy who didn't get the idea she didn't like boys that way.

I was so impressed by her actions I decide to show her how much she was a hero to me. So I drew her picture, then I made her the Oracle because we both LOVE YUGI! Then I merged her with my girl Aziza so in a sense Aziza/Oracle is the best of both me and her. I love her as a friend and this is the way she is immortalized forever by the world!

You don't need magic powers to help save the world. You just got to care enough to do something to help the world and its people. As Christopher Reeves said, "A Hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength and determination to perceiver overwhelming obstacles" Is it just me or any guy who played Clark Kent or Superman smoking?

The Villains and corruption: My friend Mark aka Mdizzile on this site says I've got a gift when it comes to villains. I guess I do and I've got a great evil laugh. To me, the greatest evil is someone who breaks someone heart on purpose or lacks a heart altogether. So basically I think of what I consider evil and what some real evils are. It's not hard for me to make a villain but it's hard for me to write battles.

Corruption? That was repeat being spoken of when describing the Xanadu Universe? The one that Zork's wraiths help kill by infected everyone? I was merely speaking of what mankind fate is only escalated way, way, way out of control. The same problems we face every day. Hatred, Greed, Pride, Lust, Jealousy, Prejudice, Racism, Closed-Mindedness basically what I was talking about was the same problems we have in our world were escalated by the Divine Beings.

I do believe if we don't stop acting like fools with our head cut off and realize what is important we will end up killing ourselves. Think about the people. Do you really think I like it that my country been in Iraq this long? We're not white, black, Asian, or any race at all! The paper that blew Yami away was mine. I tried to post it with the chapter but it won't take it. If you want to read it goes to my scarps at deviant. I hope you understand what I was talking about.

Pop References: You may've noticed I made plenty of references about various other TV shows along with book etc. Well, I was actually stating my thoughts and feelings and on one occasion after the food fight before Kisara almost turns Yami into road kill I was asking about Danny Phantom and Avatar. People um that was really asking if any of you had any ideas where I could get the third season of Danny or when the hell Avatar new season was coming. I'm glad you loved the story but I thought I was making it very blunt at times I was asking for certain kind of feedback! The books and DVDs Aziza gives Yami I either own or seen. I felt they best displayed the kinda lessons he needed. That and a chandler said few were a good example of things. I hope you got the idea of what I watch on TV.

Original Character Bios: Here is the background and secrets of my OCs. My thoughts and feeling into what went into making them and also why two feel more real then anything ever.

Aziza: She is beautiful, blind and kicks ass. She is also the first OC I've created that everyone actually liked. Almost all my others, Akiko for Avatar, Lu for Xiaolin, Nakida and Sonia Teen Titans to name a few haven't been exactly well liked. Akiko is liked somewhat on Deviant. Lu has been called a bitch because she is very blunt. I don't do tact and I hate people just saying things to be nice. I would prefer a world with absolute down to Earth honesty. Chakra was my other Xiaolin Character and I never really learned what people thought about her. The only other OC of mine that was very well liked Kali wrote with my permission from me was Terra McGinnis aka Batgirl Beyond.

All my OC I ever created especially the girls are very much a part of me. Who I want to be. What I know inside me and what I'm capable of doing. I pour so much time and effort to design their looks and I've struggled to make good backgrounds for them and give them flaws. It has pushed and challenged me in many ways. That why I was so elated to learn all of you loved Aziza. It made me feel like I finally at long last did something right. She wasn't even supposed to be in this story but I took a gamble and put her in.

Aziza is a real Egyptian name that I got out of a name book given to me by Dr. Ginger Brainerd after I told her it was hard to come up with names. With over 3000 to choose from it became a lot easier. I think Aziza name is very pretty and its spell the same both ways. I sadly can't find out what it means and I wish I could.

When I was first creating Aziza I knew what I want her to look like, her personality was easy too and her powers were great as well. In my other two stories, Aziza is The Pharaoh's Secret Keeper. As then title suggests she is supposed to keep secrets, she ends up keeping the biggest secret safe in her soul for 5000 years. Atem's name and life! Because she is blind she can't be affected by magic but can still do magic.

She's still very much the same girl you've read about here but in the other two she was part of Atem's Court and had lot of hardships to deal with and was very grateful to be alive taking into consideration she should've died on her birthday April 18, she a year older then Atem, for the reason that she is blind and that was the law. She is just basically like here Atem's best friend and loves him a great deal. They both admit they'd childish crushes on each other when they're kids. On the other hand, both know Atem's heart is Yugi. I won't spoil everything but she is very important to him.

To be honest it was because of Yugi and Atem I really started to really understand and want to do Yaoi. I've seen Kerry Weaver on ER with Sandy for a while so I wasn't a stranger to this but I never drew or wrote it till I really saw what Yugi and Atem had together. There is no gay, lesbian, or straight. Love is love. What matters is if you find someone who makes you happy. Nothing else matters but that.

In the other stories, she can turn into a cheetah whenever she wants and is very powerful. In this story, I tried to write her the same but with one added thing. She still has that incredible sense of hearing and short temper, but in this story she is bi-polar.

The reason behind this? I'm bi-polar, I felt if Yami could watch Aziza live with both blindness in addition to mental illness, it would teach him a great deal and it told you a little about me. One I do walk on my toes and two if I had friends in my real life and someone pulled a stunt like what Duke did don't think I won't try to chock him! Aziza is very much me but she still her own person. It isn't easy being bi-polar I'll tell you.

Again I wish I could voice her. In my mind when I'm watching Yugi she comes and goes like the wind. She's protecting and being there for her Pharaoh and Prince not out of loyalty or duty but because Atem saved her life and he's her best friend and like she said you can't help but fall in love with them. That way she is always with them in my mind. She punishes those who wrong them and just keeps an eye on them and just wants them to be happy.

I tend to make the girls I created very beautiful. I wish I could be as beautiful as her. I'm pretty just not as much as I like. I've got long blond hair, one blue eye, and one green eye, wear glasses, average height and I've lost some weight. I've gone from 210 to 184. I guess taking out 80lbs garbage bags and mopping floors does help! Still, I just want more then anything one day to be able to show off a midriff. If you want to know more about Aziza read my other two fics. I think you'll enjoy chapter nine and eleven in Aibou very much when you see what's happened.

Samira: The idea for her was stimulated by two things. One, we saw Atem's father and him as the cutest baby in the universe HIGH SQUEEL! But no mother and I felt after all the hell the poor guy been through he deserved to have some memories of his mom. Also, I need to explain that hair!

I love that anime gets these great hair color and hairstyles yet I do need some genetics for myself. I still can't figure out Rini from Sailor Moon coloring. How does a girl wind up with pink hair and red eyes when both her parents have blue eyes, one is blond and the other black? In all honesty, Rini should've blue eyes and black hair, seeing how blond a recessive gene is. I mean at least in Code Lyoko Aelita hair was explained. Her mom also had pink hair; I'm guessing her parent's one had white hair the other red thus the pink.

So I took a great deal of time and effort getting her looks right. I think I did a very good job with her. Her name in Arabic means "Entertaining" and seeing how her son is the King of Games it fits. She is just the same in here as she was in the other story really. She is simply a good mother and a good wife. Aknamkanon was nice in the show so they had a good relationship in the other stories. In the other stories, she was the one who taught Atem how to play games and taught him to be humble, honorable, and respectful. Her best friend was Efra who's Aziza mom. In my story Aibou, she died when Atem was nine due to a fever. She made him swear to protect what he loved and when he played a game whether it is life or fun to be the honorable man she saw. I think you get why it hurt a lot more when he lost Yugi's soul now.

Again I chose Jen Kohl to voice her because basically it the same role. Ursa and Samira are both being mothers in royalty doing whatever it takes to keep their children safe from their evil fathers.

Samir: His name means "Entertaining companion." In my other two stories, Samir was Aknamkanon best friend and his wife was Efra. His job was being the King personal adviser. Samir was very book smart and very creative thinker. He also was gifted when it came to horseback riding. He one the Nile Challenge 7 years in a row with Aknadin also in second. Aknadin despised Samir and his family as you'll read. Samir helped translate the spell for the Items. He and his wife were very good people and even saved Atem's father life once which is why he'd allowed Aziza to live. Samir and his wife died in a landslide on their way home from a mercy mission. This event leaves Aziza with a big debt to someone she will attempt to pay forward in Aibou.

He wasn't going to be in this story originally. Samira was going to be married to a severely burned firefighter named Mike but I changed it when I decide to use Aziza. The tough part was his hair which in the other stories we don't see it because of his headdress. In my mind, he voiced by Keith David, best known for Goliath on Gargoyles. The man has an incredible voice and he does a great job acting as well!

Efra: Despite you don't meet her in this story I want you to know who she is. Efra name means "Honored, distinguished," I've wished to have her voiced by Susan Eisenberg who did Wonder Woman on JLU. In my other Yugi fics, Efra was the High Priestess before Isis. She was best friends with Samira. She was famous for many things her magical talents, medium abilities but most her most famous quality is the fact she was the best midwife around. She never lost mother or child when she delivered a baby and when you consider how high the death rate was back in ancient Egypt you be lucky to have her around! She was the one who caught Atem coming out of the birth channel after 16 hours of hell. 7lbs, 12 ounces and 18 and a half inches long. When she did his reading she informed his parents his destiny was so great even the Gods couldn't tell her it! That why she was a nurse in this before she died. Imagine Aziza in her 30s with slightly shorter hair and sunset eyes and you got Efra.

Camille: Bitch Diva wasn't she? Also something of a narcissist the way she had to keep make herself look so beautiful and make it all about her. Her voice let me think. I'd chose Shirley Millner who did everyone favorite insane virus Hexadecimal on Reboot. God, I love and miss that show. I think she does well with this bitch that couldn't be more insane if she tried. Not to mention she has 16 forms and Hexadecimal is 16 devisable or something like that. When I created Camille I was basically making the ultimate bitch some who could even be eviler then Aknamkanon. I had her look like the Winx Club, W.I.T.C.H. and C.H.K.Y.N. for two reasons. One it showed you what else I watch and two of their outfits are very stylish! But her face remains evil showing she can't hide what inside.

The Vixens: Shakti, Pomona, and Oba: The Vixens are very special for several reasons. One is the name they go by Vixens. A vixen for those of you that don't know is a female fox, and foxes just happened to be my favorite animal.

Now each of their names is of a goddess. Shakti is Hindi, it means "Divine Woman" In their religion it the Hindu Goddess of Time and Destruction. Pomona is Latin it means "Apple" In myth, it's the goddess of fruit and fruit trees. Oba its Yoruba, myth a goddess who rules the rivers.

When it came too how the Vixens looked I was determined to make them very sexy and deadly at the same time. My only complaint with Yugi and Atem is their lack of a wardrobe hence getting him clothes. So I was determined to make these girls look great. When I drew I like to look at bright colors better then dull ones. So I chose three colors that worked well. The elf ears and Bajoran earrings? I love to draw pointy ears and I love the Bajorans earrings. They're the ones in Star Trek with the ridges on their nose and the odd names family name first and the first name last. I love their earrings so that why I added that. Cat pupils make them look evil but that tiny diamond? That was actually inspired by an X-file episode with a genie who was trapped in a rug and that was her bracelet of slavery that diamond.

The Vixens are based largely on The Charmed Ones and the Weird Sisters. I wasn't really into Charmed that was Kali's thing. But the Weird Sisters from Gargoyles are very much like the Vixens. They are immortal; they look alike except for the hair. The sisters have one blond, one black, and one white. Both groups sever a higher power and both are more often referred to as a group then their individual names. This way they are voiced by Kath Soucie.

She is one of the most famous voice actors. Other are Jeff Bennett, Tara Strong, Cree Summer, Grey DeLisle, Ron Perlman, Rob Paulsen, too name a few. After a while, you learned to pick up them. It because of them I wish to be a voice actor so badly!

Faith: She was based off a character of the same name from an episode of the Pretender I loved. That was the show about Jared, the biggest heart in the world yet he didn't have a clue who he was. Also running and still helping the world best he could. My favorite episodes of that show were the Plastic Surgeon, Racism and Pool, and A Wild Child. Not the real titles but I think if you have seen it and seen the smoking hot Michael T. Weiss who did Tarzan voice in the short-lived but great animated series, you'll get it. In this episode where the character of Faith comes from both Jared and Miss. Parker face life threatens crisis at the exact same time. The both are visited by the spirit of Faith a young girl they befriend with Angelo for a short time who died. She was there to help them both get through it and live. So that is why Faith is here in this story. I have Tara Strong doing her.

Aida: Is the same woman from Aknadin flashback I just gave her a name. It comes to form the book "The Egypt Game" one of the players chose it as her Egypt name. I thought it was pretty.

Solmina: Originally I was going to have the only other Darklight victim be nameless that Yami's Grandma died as an innocent victim in the genocide. I quickly realized that it won't work because we need more emotion and more personal response. So I created Solmina whose name is a feminist version of Solomon. I wanted her voice by Sandra Bullock. Kali was the one who came up with the idea of Zork wanting her as his queen in the final chapter to make her out to be a far more important character then originally thought up.

Chapters Analysis: I'm going to break down each chapter and explain a few things interested in each one. When I wrote this I was thinking of it like TV episodes that I was later going to look up at You know like recap, trivia & quotes, reviews and such. I go to that website faithfully.

Chapter One Analysis: This chapter was all about just getting the main idea of what the back story was and how it went for the present. As you could see we're able to see what kind of people each and every person was and get an idea of how they lived. We learned a lot about everyone including how their Items helped with magic and about the importance of their wings. We also saw clearly what kind of King we were dealing with. I was thinking very much of Zuko's father Ozai so that helped with making Aknamkanon evil. The shape of Xanadu came when I was thinking hard trying to think of something unusual but simple and for a second I thought of "Rudolph and Frosty's Christmases in July," and remembered a birthmark on Rudolph hoof. It was a star inside a snowflake so I worked with that till I came up with the city and I got help also with the hologram that they showed of Crystal Tokyo when Rubious was in charge of things in the first part of Sailor Moon R with Rini.

Chapter 2 Analysis: This chapter has quite a few things I like to point out. One is the bridge that Atem is at when we first meet him. The Harmony Bridge is actually from an old story of mine I did years ago. It wasn't fanfic or anything. It was merely about Crysta the Princess of the Sun and Todd the Prince of the Moon and how they just felt trapped in their lives and just couldn't be themselves at all. The Harmony Bridge is where they meet and let down their hair and just be free. So that was why I used it here.

The second point of interest is Atem himself. He's been abused since the age of four. This is like in real life how people who've been abused wither its physical or verbal. They are very much incomplete and not well equipped to deal with the real world. He is very much a far cry from what we're used too.

I'm sick of sugarcoating I've had so much of it I should have diabetes! Ok, it's so time the world stop acting like it a god damn fairytale! People swear, violent deaths, all that shit happens and a hell of lot more! We don't need child blocks on the TV! Ok in this day and age a three-year-old knows about blood and gory! Kali and I both agree on this when it comes to getting an episode in the original language off Youtube. I know a lot of you are thinking I'm being harsh, but that's just me. In reality, I'm trying to show you the real world so you can help people who are suffering from this type of abuse. No one should have to be beaten, raped, or torture by people who are supposed to be caring for them. If you know someone who is suffering like this then help them and support the groups that deal with this stuff!

When I watch other animes I really think that if people followed my philosophy things would be better. Take Sailor Moon for example. If it had the English names, voices, and music and half the dialog mixed with everything else of the Japanese it is perfect! Life is about comprised but I won't ever sugarcoat things. That is why this story had such excessive use of 'bad' language and other things. I hope I didn't offend anyone by my language, but if I did I'm sorry.

The Hope Tree is inspired by a tree I saw at camp that is as old as the year the Declaration of Independence was signed. If you thought about just about every culture on Earth as a plant or animal that is meant to inspire hope and that what many people need. The Orb that Atem spots are a shout out to this one-shot I did for Raven and Beast Boy last year. Also, none of you seemed to laugh at that fact that Mahad has a Dark Magician doll or he has hair gel. Hmm, I thought it was worth a chuckle. Serafina name was really a pun if you didn't get it. She named after the highest ranking angels! But you saw her and her mom. You may not catch it but when Mahad was scooping this dope out Atem felt like he had an ulcer. That line came from the fact Trapper had an ulcer and was hoping to go home; of course, Wayne Rogers had to wait till the end of the third season for that.

Chapter 3 Analysis: Yugi has got to be the purest heart out there. If Serena got the purest for girl Yugi's heart would be the one for the boys' hands down. What I enjoy about this is the unique look at things. This is totally what I call Eyes of a Child. Like Data, Kyle XY, Starfire, Ax. All of them are expressing things we've grown up with for the first time. I mean we talk in slang but we never really stop to think about why we said things like that or any mundane thing like the dishes may look to someone who doesn't know anything about our world. So I'm greatly fascinated by those people and I was using them to help with Yami now that he was part of our world. Yami was totally naive and out of his element but at least he's someone who cared about him. Someone he felt he could trust. That is why the first feathers fell. He learned to trust. So this was more about seeing the world for the first time.

Chapter 4 Analysis: The reason I had the King of Games wet the bed? It made him very human and it very funny. Everyone does wet the bed and it is also a sign of abuse. But the reason it was done to make him more human. Atem is just shown to be almost not human so I did this to make him more human to remind us he isn't a god but a mortal. We also see that Yami has been so long abuse he feels he must punish himself. The first breakfast Yami had, I never have had but I don't mind having it. As I said he is now like a newborn soaking up everything that is new and I love that childlike quality. Him getting almost run over by Bandit Keith is an homage to Luna in the Sailor Moon Super movie Hearts in Ice. You probably guess it but they're showing Yugioh from the start on 4kidsTV on Saturdays at 10:00 to 1100. Now its just 10:30 this is why I chose that time for his birthday. The Duels in this chapter where based off the ones in season one simply because they're showing and it was easy to remember the cards. He learned self-confident that why he lost more feathers. This was just to get your attention that this was important.

Chapter 5 Analysis: As the title suggests as all of them do in fact there is major trouble going on. The skylight that Aknamkanon destroys from his temper tantrum is the same one from Eragon. I love that book and maybe now I'll finally be able to read my own copy of Eldest and then read Inkheart. It's clear that the Court doesn't wish to see anyone suffer at all. It also appears they know what love is given what happens next. If you don't know what a lynching is here the answer. Mana if she had said she was the one who locked Atem in his room with the window open she been hung without a trail. That is a lynching. The reason Mahad was able to fool Aknadin Eye is because of the love he felt for Mana. The reason I had Mahad whipped was that in my last Yugi story Yugi was also whipped merely by a flaming whip. I called it Calicfer's fire whip because Calicfer was the name of the fire demon in Howl's Moving Castle. Also, the adding an "O" or "A" was brought on because I got on Youtube a little clip in Japanese of that snake incident and I liked the sound of Mahado so I just made it a term of affection. This chapter also foreshadows several key events yet to come. Like Atem's Ascending, Mahad and Isis romance, Mana own fate and even a small hint that there something bugging Seto. The Starlight Tower is model after the tower of the same name from the episode when Serena becomes the Moon Princess. Man is she a goddess! We also meet Camille and learn of a few trademarks of the King and Cyclops. We learn what their unholy agenda is.

Chapter 6: I wasn't lying people. All those 'chores' Yami did is what I do 5 days a week from 2:30 to 5:30 for a paycheck. It is very hard work and at times it can be extremely aggravating. The laundry room is exactly like the one where I get some of my supplies only we have a big storeroom where a lot of other things are kept. Every word Yugi said when he was telling Yami how to fill up the buckets is what Wendi my co-worker told me. All of the shit that happened to Yami it happened to me. I've had this job since last November and its ok but the worst is when you've to clean the men room. God, you don't want to even know how shitty it gets in there! I drew a picture of it from memory with Yugi in it. It was to try getting an answer to this question. How does Yugi use the bathroom with Atem always around? Also, I had those same express at school. High School was nothing but an insane asylum with bells. I hated it! All of the Teachers and staff I mention I know and talked too. I talk with like three teachers about ER alone! Dr. Brainard was nice and she'd take you out to lunch sometimes. I HATE ENGLISH CLASS. That was no lie that how it went every day we never got anything done. Even detention wasn't really detention because everyone was breaking the rules and they let them get away. This was the worst 4 years of my life. Thank God it's over! I was voted Most Unique though. That was nice. So this was largely based around my life. I chose TV Shows and Movies I knew well for him to learn about in the pop culture.

Chapter 7: I want to give Mana a bit of her own back-story and lead up to the next chapter when she is adopted. I want to show she was growing. This was also fuel by something else. Remember Samira tells Yami that she was attempting to comfort Mana mother as a child? But wasn't able to help her talk about it? Well, I wrote a comment on Youtube concerning a Reboot episode and like so many others I get ripped apart. People, it is true when something traumatic happens it doesn't matter who you are. Either you talk about or the consequences could be unpleasant, to say the least. So we learned Mana's history in this story and it shows how even Immortal can suffer. It also shows some very sick behavior on the Trio part. But I couldn't think of anything more sickening then prostration. It also again hints that Aknamkanon has a personal grudge against Shimon which none you seemed to notice was important. The Star Candies that Aknadin eats comes from the Sailor Moon Hearts in Ice Movie. They also seemed to be popular in other anime as Rin is seen in Spirited Away feeding the Soot Spirits them. The courts' outfits were basically how I envision them in my mind, nothing special really. Thus the hunt began with Yami as a rabbit.

Chapter 8: The dreams both Yugi and Yami were having were foretelling their destiny. I love dreams and I love it when I remember them. One I remember quite well as I was in my church bathroom and then Leo my favorite Ninja Turtle shows up and we kiss. Hey, I've only kissed one guy in real life so any kissing is good! I've extremely detailed and very extraordinary dreams. You've read my work I think you can manage my dreams.

I like the makeover I did on Yami's room. "The Thief Lord" is a great book and takes place in my dream vacation spot, Venice Italy. I own the book and the DVD. Everything from using the computer to having a CD player in the bathroom while showing is what I do.

I recalled an episode of Kyle XY when the Taggerts went to enroll him so I used that and what I knew of a physical. I want Yugi to think there's got to be a reason he doesn't want to be seen without his jacket on. I thought music with super Tylenol would be a clever way to manage his puberty without arousing suspicions Also I wasn't lying; I never in my LIFE have had homework ever! The reason I want to go into detail like where the court was staying and how they're paying is this. I've seen more then enough movies, shows that you have some person show up out of the blue and everything really cool. Not this time they had to figure out things for themselves and make ends meet on their own. I wanted a real human approached and not that magic one. My grandma gave me the hotel name when I was stumped.

We now got to see exactly what kind of evil deeds the Vixens were capable of. We also saw that Yami is learning and using that knowledge against his enemies quite well. It's clear that Yami knows that he can trust the Court and they all should be on the lookout for the Vixens. I thought the koi pond would be soothing so that why I chose it. The Court approach in this matter is from an episode of Medium. I felt if they could interact on neutral ground I could expand some and get more locations.

Chapter Nine: Wendi loved the titles to this one. At work, I'm allowed to before we lock up and go home talk all I want about my stories and show my artwork off to Wendi or Cindy. It's nice and it's better then having no outlet at all. I chose Bakura to teach nature because he seemed to be a tender soul and after being possessed by Zork for so long I felt nature fit him.

Wakana his girlfriend is from Aibou. She was a secondary character who was great at doing costumes and sets so she and Bakura where helping with that for Tea's Duel Monsters Musical she wrote. They end up getting married in the end; she's a botanist, he's a family counselor and they have a little girl named Ryo who writes poetry and songs lyrics.

The animal shelter is based on IVAR. I did some volunteer work there for a long time till my hours went from morning to afternoon so there wasn't time or energy. Misty was my favorite dog I always snuck her extra treats. The Green House was Wakana works is the same one from the opening of Sailor Moon R Movie Promise of the Rose. I love going to zoos. When I was in kindergarten and we went to one on a felid trip I petted a joey, that a baby kangaroo. How many of you do that? The breakfast in bed was done to really show they're falling in love. It was also cute to draw. That phone number Mahad gave him, it was the show name along with start and end air dates. Oh and the reason they watched Tristan and Isolde? I own it and was dying to watch it a second time but never had the time!

Chapter 10: I made Mana good at Rummy because I'm good at it. Mrs. Plym the teacher who taught Pride taught it to us and I pretty much won every game I've ever played afterward. When I said what show and what channel I was being serious. The reason I chose "Full House" for Mana to watch? It's like the only sitcom worth watching over and over. The others are far too embarrassing or painful. Setting Mana up with Duke was done for two reasons. One they're playing the episodes he first started and two I want to be original. I had Tea teach him to dance because I know that what she good at. Again I don't hate her and I don't get why so many do.

The fact he going to a rave was because I've never been to a party ever. I only had Yami with certain people in certain chapters so they teach him their lesson. It won't have worked any other way. Still, I felt Marik was worth mentioning which is why he was guarding the door to the party. That thrift shop Lilypads? The one where Yugi and Yami went to get clothes? It's real. It not far from my house me and my neighbor Karma go there for bargain shopping. I also picked up two Yugioh Tapes there as well.

Now Aziza and Yami meet and it was perfect. I thought it went well. There is a reason I got Yami drunk as skunk which is how Klinger describes one of Hot Lips Nurse who had a drinking problem. Too many people are dumb enough to drink. People one drink is one too many. Plan and simple don't ever take one drink because once you give into temptation it a lot harder to resist it a second time. I don't approve at all of being drunk. You think I liked it when my dad got so smashed one night he was passed out on the bathroom floor and I missed therapy? Or that he got a DUI? You think I liked having to take him everywhere? I don't like it when I've to do it for Kali either or waste my money on smokes for Mom. I hate it that my parents smoke as well. That is why I did that park they end up going to do. It never seemed to really sink in until it right in your face and you can't escape it.

I thought the scrapbooks were good too, and if you wish to read that essay he was blown away by go to my deviant page and look at my scraps. It titles Life is Beautiful. The Kool-aid thing is something between me and Kali and dad is the one who taught me to bowl. We go every Sunday. I've beaten him twice when he bowled left-handed, I've gotten like 144 one game, three strikes in the tenth once and I got 7 strikes in a row once. So I made Aziza good at bowling too. I even last week used her name and not mine.

Chapter 11: I was working hard to finish this chapter before May 10th. Why? Because then all of us, my mom my dad, my twin sister Kali and my little sister Keelia were going from Illinois to North Carolina to see my 22-year-old brother Kyle graduated from college. I had to give up two paid work days to go. So I went into overdrive to get this chapter done beforehand. I mostly liked to thank Karma and as I mentioned early the show Pretender for this.

This chapter was to teach one of the most important lessons there is being human. We all need to believe in something. Doesn't matter what you believe in. What matter is that you've got something that will help you get through life, no matter what comes your way! That is the point of Pandora's Box. She unleashed all the evils upon man but stopped the greatest one from escaping thus ensuring we've hoped. Because if we don't have hope then we've no point to living at all.

This chapter was hinting that also Aziza had another problem, something that she felt only able to confine with Yugi about. As I said being bi-polar is no picnic. I've had it all my life and even wrote a report on it but I don't understand it at all. I know it makes me walk on my toes as Yami notice Aziza did that. You know she does have two problems. People can see her blindness but they can't see what going on in her brain. So while one handicap is visible the other isn't and that why having mental illness sucks because, for the most part, you can't tell. I do like the motto that Aziza has inspired. I shared with a fellow artist on Deviant and she made this really cool picture to go with it. The things in Aziza's home like the gurney rails and text warp and auditory functions are all real methods used to help blind people. I watch in a group a Shrek 2 with a woman saying what was going on. So I was being truthful with how Aziza manages around her own home. I had too laughed when she joked that Yami was Kyle XY which he was. The Second Season is going to be so awesome! The first episode was beyond cool and it going to get even cooler! I chose books and movies I've

Seen, read, or owned that I thought would help him. I like it that Yami shows a deep connection with his unknown sister at the time when he asked to safeguard his most precious treasure. Suncoast was my favorite store at the mall till it closed for some unknown reason!

I liked the lunch scene at school. Where I went we had so many kids that we had three different lunch periods. You really wanted A it was the earliest because B meant you had to be pulled out of class and then go back, you didn't want C because that meant you had to wait till 12:40 lunch and considering the fact food only stays in the stomach for six hours tops and you ate breakfast at 6:00 how hungry do you think we're? I had that dread Clunch for the longest times and finally got A.

Actually, since the West Gym was next to the cafeteria and like Yami I was changing in a bathroom stall, I didn't have to wait long. My locker was down the hall with a bathroom nearby. I just did a quick changed grabbed by lunch from locker ate it in two minutes flat. My lunch was the exact same one Aziza ate. So I was again drawing from my life.

I've always admired Joey for taking such a big chance to help his sister. When I was taping these episodes in the morning long ago Kyle when he was living with us ridicule me and mocked it saying no one would ever do that. I've never done anything at a hospital like candy stripper duties. But it fit Serenity so perfectly.

When I did the part with Faith I want to express my option on religion. I believe that there is a God and Heaven and Devil and Hell. I believe if you live a good life you'll go to heaven. I don't think you need to neither swallow the Bible nor go to church all the time. To me, if you just be a good person and don't let evil rule you then you go to heaven. Also, a lot of people agree with me that the Bible is really outdated and doesn't really fit this day and age and you really must make up your own mind on something.

The CD was from my brother's pastor. The prayer book was a gift from Karma. She is a very good and dear friend of mine. She is only 10 years older. Married two kids and one on the way. But she is fun to hang out with and she'll listen to me and we just enjoy each other company. Not to mention the wonder she does to my hair. So this was also a shout out too her. We don't agree on the religion thing but she is happy she had her own impacted on me. I always wanted Yami to show his wings to her. But I was struck with inspiration it is more like God wanted him there if her parents had died. Shakti one of the Vixens killed them with the gas explosion she set off.

The garden that Serenity finds Yami in after Faith has died is the same one on top of the RWHC from the Lifetime series "Strong Medicine," Male Nurse Peter Riggs tenders to it. I glad that Serenity was able to help him come to terms with death.

By this time it's very obvious that Yami has grown a great deal and he learned a few tricks. As I said the one good thing about the church is that no evil can touch it or see into it. And when you're talking about a church that accepts all faiths there no way anyone can stop Yami's goal. The pastor that baptizes him, who actually came out well when I drew it, was the pastor I grew up with. He was a nice man and a very good person. I love wedding. I almost caught the bouquet at my aunt wedding reception. Kali beat me to it. The rings Mahad and Isis got? I saw them in Fluke. Man is reborn as a dog, go figure?

As for the reason Samira chose to become an artist is because one of the Rainbow Crystal Carriers in Sailor Moon was a painter. She was able to paint the most amazing paintings of the Moon Kingdom and it was just very cool. So that why Samira is a painter that and I love to draw.

Chapter 12: Well Yami is reunited with his mom. When went on that 12-hour car ride I had to do something to keep busy. So I attempted to draw in a new sketchbook. Have you ever tried drawing while going over 70 miles an hour? Not easy! I did manage to do a great shot of the first scene with them hugging. This was giving me some problems the whole trip which itself left a lot to be desired. It was the worst trip of my life! It had only one good thing about it which was mention later on in the chapter.

I was racking my brain the whole time trying to come up with a way. A way to explain exactly how Samira could be here on Earth alive and why she didn't go back and the rest of the whole story. Finally, after getting home and reading like 40 emails and 95 message and Deviants, I came up with it. I just relaxed and just let it flow out. It became quite easy after I stop stressing and just let it write itself.

I love Cheetos and my cat name is Tess and those were my meds in Aziza name you read. I think it so nice when people do sit on their roof or someplace and look at the stars. It's so pleasant. I wrote it all from my heart to show what kind of woman Samira was and I think it was very bold that I wrote in this story that she was raped. The only other OC I've had that done to was Terra. I think I did a very good job showing who Samira was and what Yami thought. We also learn now of the Prophecy which is really the only hope the people of Xanadu have to be free. The reason she good at skating is because I love watching skating and gymnastics on TV. I love it!

We also learn that an Immortal can choose to become mortal which is foreshadowing what will happen in the end. I liked the part where she sings "My Wish" I nut about that song. It just seems so special in my mind every day when I drove too and from work listening to that song and in my mind we have a 5'7 woman holding her 5'4 92lbs son and she singing it to him I found that special.

Now the next day? We'd breakfast at Bob's Evans every day of that horrid trip but I got to go to Hooters for the first time in my life! That's what happened to me with the Teapot thing. So I had Yami get that and have him and Yugi get their ears piece because I liked those earrings he wore in the Memory Saga. I got my ears pierced when I was 12 at Claries in the mall.

Now for when Aziza and Yami are in her room? It's my room all of it except for the carpet, she gets better carpet and her room would most likely is not cooking her alive like mine does because it got no circulations. Oh and I can spin a ball on any of my fingers. I've liked the joke she uses to break the ice. I've often tried to be funny to no avail I'm afraid.

I liked it when Yami used that spell he created out of magic and trap cards. I found it too be very ingenious and clever. Also seeing him stick his tongue out at the Vixens was worth the laughter. He now knows this is more of a waiting game and he positive he can win it. However, the Vixens have other plans, dark Plans.

Chapter 13: Tale of Seto was fun to do for several different reasons. I had three main plots going one at once and it gave Seto his chance in the spotlight. The plots were 1. Get what was a need for the Darklight Ritual. 2. Seto's ailment and 3. Lessons of Humanity

The Darklight Ritual has based off something in the first season of W.I.T.C.H. Phobos needs the same three items to make a crown which he tends to use on his sister Elyon to steal her powers and in a manner of speaking kill her. I made the ritual far more satanic in addition to darker with a much worse fate then ending up a black rose for all time.

As for Seto's problem with his repressed memory? The memory of his mother died? This was inspired by an episode of MASH when Hawkeye couldn't stop sneezing for no apparent reason. When the 4077 couldn't find anything wrong with his body it was time to find out what was going on in his head. In comes my favorite therapist Sydney Freedman. I like how this guy does his job and he not bad looking either. In my story "Kimiko's Secret Heart" I pretended it was his granddaughter Sydney Freedman III running a mental health clinic.

Anyway, it was revealed when Hawkeye was a kid his cousin pushed into a lake and he almost died. His cousin saved him and blamed Hawkeye for falling in as if he hadn't pushed him in. So Hawkeye who couldn't bring himself to hate his cousin mind changed the events and tucked what really happened deep inside his head. What brought it out? The smell of a wounded boy who fell in a ditch. The odor is the strongest memory trigger there is. When Seto went to that bakery and was overwhelmed by the smell of baked goods his mind was slowly coming undone. So for Seto, he went the long and painful process of his mind trying to let out what he'd had chosen to hide.

The bakery was inspired by another Sailor Moon episode. It's when Emerald takes over and she looks hot in her human disguise. She and Serena eat a lot of cake! The food fight was my idea. I've always wanted to be in one.

Now the motorcycle. I love motorcycle even if I accidentally got burned on one. I figured it is easier to get the hair from a helmet then a car. And motorcycles seem more fun anyway. So I had Kisara teach him driving and patience at the college parking lot. That's where all the kids around here go to practice. Samira worries on driving come from my own. I had four bad dreams include one where I drove the Batmobile off the interstate, I nearly total a golf cart with my dad in it, and I had a panic attack in the simulates at school.

Here is something I don't get people. I got Yami walking in on Kaibutt and Kisara having SEX! SEX! How come no said anything at all? I don't get how you people can't comment at all on those things!

Mokuba I figure knows a lot about forgiveness and that comic book he'd was mine. Kali bought if for me. Now, why did I make the world biggest jackass charitable? In a MASH Christmas episode, Winchester does his family traditions of charity by anomalously leaving expensive chocolates for people. He does this for the Korean orphans only he learned none of them received the candy. He is first angry when he learns it was sold on the black market but when he finds out it was enough to feed the children for a month he smiles. It's wrong to give children dessert if they've had no supper first. So that is why I did this with Kaiba.

Chapter 14: I like this because I want to go the extra mile as they actually obtain legal papers and everything. It bugs me how people in a lot of movies and thing can suddenly appear and have lives. Well without the paperwork to back it up you don't exist I'm sorry. So I went the extra mile.

Mahad's father Markl and Isis's mother Meryt-Isis come from two different sources. Mahad's father name is from Howl's Moving Castle. Markl was the little boy apprentice always disguising himself as an old man. Meryt-Isis was an Egyptian Gargoyle that Brooklyn ran into during his Timedancing in the Gargoyle Saga.

Isis dowry is based off some computer games me and my sisters played years ago. It was by a company called Purple Moon. They had Secret Paths to the Forrest, Sea, and Dreams along with Rockett Movado world collection. It was a lot of fun and I miss it, but like everything else in life, it's gone.

Is Mana getting her period? Again why didn't anyone talk about that?! It was based on me really. I got mine first and it was like only a week after they showed us that video. I was just about to leave the 5 grade. Anyway, Mom made Dad go to the store at 9:00 pm and get me some pads.

The whole library setting was written by my twin sister Kali. She helped every now and then with the story. I told her what I wanted and we worked together to write it. I wanted Rebecca parents to be climatologists because I loved the movie "Day After Tomorrow" The special effect is just so cool! The puzzle books seemed to make the most sense to obtain something that represented his mind. There was this one saying that I see at work all the time when I get the trash from one woman office and I want Rebecca to say it. I just couldn't remember it. "Imagination is more important then knowledge, Albert Einstein."

The lake where Samir goes to bond with Yami is real. I've done a lot of fishing there and it a nice place really. Mai seemed to be ideal to talk to him about fear and the Igloo where she was going to meet Joey for their date is a restaurant near the edge of town.

I wanted Yami so bad to dance in the rain. I love watching it so much in my head I couldn't wait to write it and the cold was perfect. All in all, it was a great well thought out the chapter.

Chapter 15: I was worried you're going to kill me. Glad you didn't. I do own a Princess Bride Calendar. This was very informative because it showed us what Samira can and can't do. It showed the Taste which is a real event here in Illinois. I went to it last weekend and got ripped off and sick to my stomach. I combined the Taste with the Enchanted Forest its an indoor amusement park at the place where Karma works. The safe was my idea and Kali really wanted that Crown out but she had to wait a bit.

Again I want to show what kind of a life Samira had. I was also hinting that her mother was the victim of the Darklight Ritual and that Shimon is her father. Again how could you not pick it up? I like Heroes a lot as you could tell with the many references. Well, I do like it. Also starting this chapter we had the clock winding down. So you got an idea of how much time has passed.

The time Aziza and Yami spend doing errands? North Central is a real building that I go to for counseling. I hate it greatly I rather have a friend who treats me like a person, not a paycheck. Yeah getting your blood tested isn't fun either.

I was speaking of my brother when Aziza spoke of an online friend. I've wanted to kill him. When he was staying here after he got out of college he was extremely inconsiderate and just an asshole. But as much as I want to kill him and send him to Hell because he condemns me to it so much, I won't because he still is my brother and we'll work it out. I used that problem because Yami and Aziza get along so well yet they're bound to fight sooner or later.

My feelings on the subject of boys, love, Smallville, Hillary Duff are all clearly stated in this chapter and I hope someone else gets them. I like how I could use my own thoughts on other shows as a conversation. The Taste was better for them and we couldn't beat The Lion King Sega Game either.

The concert is based on my two Disney Mania DVDs and other Disney artists I like. I planned for months that "Kiss the Girl" dance. You don't know how long and hard I begged all over Youtube for someone to do the new version to them. When Arainaina finally did I was so happy I watched 10 times in a row! The walk home was mimicking Scamp and Angel. Mana kissing Duke is because I end up making the first move on Evan. We were on the school fire escape and I told him to flat out "Evan if you like me just kiss me!" So we kissed. Why it is that none of you guys got the balls to make the first move ever?!

The Vixens getting his breath from a cup and not a balloon was done because I didn't want to copycat. Plus it was far more entertaining this way!

Chapter 16: The gift Yami gives Yugi to show he loves him, seeing his parents was a very early idea. I knew if he did that without using his magic then it shows how much he learned. I didn't lie about Yugi's mom. Her name is Ashita and you can see her when Grandpa gets his soul back and when Yugi goes to get him, other then that nothing else. I figure Yugi's got his looks from his father. I picked Sho because I liked it. Atem's dad name starts with an A and he has his eyes, and his mother name starts with an "S" and he has her hair. Yugi it's vice verse neat! I knew from various websites that Yugi's parents were gone, so I image like anyone he misses them. So I felt it was the perfect gift. Again why did no one comment on that?!

The ride to the apartment complex is the exact route I take when I go over to get Kali or go to North Central. The apartments are where my mom and sisters live. It isn't the greatest but its better then living under a bridge isn't? Deborah and Hudson are special in their own way. Deborah was the name of Hudson mate and Broadway mother. Her last name Jackson was the name of the black lawyer on the Lifetime Series "Any Day Now" Hudson was the old gargoyle but still an able warrior, his last name was his voice actor last name. Mr. Carles was my math teacher and his picture on billboards all over town.

I like it that I had Yami question himself and ask those hard to answer questions. It has shown how much he has grown. I love it when Aziza informed him of her father plans to adopt him. I think that shows a lot of character development.

The Vixens wanting Cole/Belthazor was done for laughs and to make them slightly human. They may be deadly hunters but even the mightiest of hunters need someone to come home too. They're girls and I felt they find him most attractive. I liked Cole better then Leo anyway. He was nicer to look at. So yeah it made them want something more then the hunt.

Now as I said, when the Darklight Ritual started I thought of Clark on Silver Kryptonite. It wasn't pretty, to say the least. But at long last everyone parts were being revealed. That Yugi was The Heart of Earth and Aziza the Mortal Form of the Oracle. We also see how much everyone cares and they know this is the last straw.

The Glamour Spell is from the last episode of W.I.T.C.H. when Mana and Isis shield from human eyes the effects of Yami's magic. Just like the Regents of Earth did so W.I.T.C.H. girls could have normal lives to come home to after defeating Cedric.

Still, feel kind of sorry for Nerissa to be honest. She was really a female Macbeth in many ways. Blind by ambition and power and in the end it was her undoing. It was because of O is for Obedience that Kali and I stopped fighting for a long time. We're thinking of maybe working together to write our version of the second season with Caleb gone south. Not sure but it's a thought.

When Yugi and Aziza enter Yami's soul to save him Kali really helped improve it. I wrote it quickly but she redid it and it came out great. The main idea of the Ritual was that your body winds up a vegetable but your soul is eternally raped in the shadows.

Chapter 17: This chapter when Yami reveals everything was very important. I spent a long time deciding exactly how their flight would be. I've often enjoyed watching couples in movies stand and look out of the horizon. I love how Samira comes across and how Yami lets her know she is his hero.

I love how it all came out, the confession, the flight, and finally the kiss. It was all so perfect the way it was pulled off. I was very proud of myself with how well I pulled it off. You also have to admire Aziza and her values and how she doesn't wish to keep her sight. She can accept herself the way she is and I do admire that part of her.

The whole things with Aknamkanon complete trying to 86 everyone. That again was done with Kali help. In all honesty, I couldn't have done this story without her beta reading everything and fixing it up. The temper tantrum Yami threw was inspired in part by Rini letting loose her moonbeam in the early Sailor Moon R episodes. I was the one who wants Yami to make self-sacrifice as Aslan did for Edmund. I LOVE the Chronicle of Narnia. Every summer in my youth I take out the whole series out of the library and read them over and over. Then I finally got my own copy of the books. I own the DVD Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe. I love to read and it shows. I read the 4th Harry Potter book in a day! Can't wait for the last book in July! So yeah I love to read a lot!

The fact that he gave himself up to save the lives of all he loved was what made him able to cry. That what was important that he'd learned that the lives of those you love are what really matters in life.

The fact Aziza knew how to speak Yami's tongue? Think about her dad, a motivational speaker, her mother was a nurse, Samira native tongue is just that. You think she couldn't pick it up? Also in this day and age, it's important to be able to speak in many forms of computation. I need to learn how to sign because many people who I encountered at my job at Horizon Industries are deaf. So it's extremely hard to get them to move so I can work if they can't hear me. One deaf man gave me a flower he made and I wish I could've thanked him myself. I had to have Cindy do it for me. So yeah it's important to know how to talk in more then one language.

Chapter 18: I really felt at this time Yami was going to need a lot of help. So I brought Faith back. I guess with my sister babbling on about Touched by an Angel it's only natural. Her friends she mentions are from books I read as a child. Her outfit was based on Aelita's second season and beyond the outfit. I liked it better then her first season even though the other one wasn't bad either. I just like boots a lot.

The Black Card, which was used to kill the Heart? It was inspired by Shinzo a short but highly beloved anime. It was when this snake boy Enterran known as Ryuma Lord of the Reptiles wanted the heroine Yakumo as his bride and wants to control Mushrambo the most powerful warrior on Enterra. So he made a Black Card to use on him. But Yakumo love saved him and herself from having to marrying him. GOD WHY DO THEY ALWAYS YANK THE GOOD STUFF AND REPLACE IT WIT SUCH CRAP GOD!

I really did want that final hit that caused Yami to bleed. It had the right dramatic flair to it. The Millennium Duel was written by Kali because battles don't come easy to me. It took me forever to write the one for chapter 8 in Aibou. I gave her the gist of what I wanted and she asked if what I wanted. So the battle went just as I hoped it would.

The feathers that bestowed everyone divinity? That wasn't in the original plot but I realized soon that it would be needed. The part when all of the people power reawakens the Heart and Yami swallows it before he Ascends comes from Howl's Moving Castle. When Sophie in Howl's childhood and see him swallow a shooting star. For her, this tells her how to save Howl. MAN, WHY ARE THE ONLY PERFECT BOYS ANIMATED?! IT NOT FAIR!

The Ascending transformation was largely drawn from Brother Bear and I want the song Power of Love to play as they took down Aknamkanon, I actually like it if someone would make an amv to it with the cast of Yugioh I've got one for W.I.T.C.H. and Reboot and of course Sailor Moon. It felt appropriate seeing how love was what this whole story was all about. Yes, Yami denouncing his father was inspired by Raven doing the same thing to Trigon. I loved that moment of empowerment and she looks hot in white with long hair.

You're probably wondering why Yami didn't kill his father. It's simple. If he did he go right back to what he started out as an empty shell. Death never solves anything and any person other then God has the right to decide when another will die. What happened at Virginian Tech should've told you that. Killing is wrong. I don't care what a person is done with their life, whether it's evil or good, but no one has the right to decide another individual time ever. We've got the power but not the right. Yami showed how much he learned by letting him live forever but in his own misery. That makes him the bigger person and show he really does understand that life is precious even if a person chose to waste it.

Chapter 19: I love this because everyone got a happy ending. I love the Northern Lights and Shooting Stars. I wanted something beautiful and I found a creative way to make Yugi's philosophy real and Kisara gets her powers back!

That Yami never wants to be king but he'll lead his people on Earth as their prince I like because he not going to be like his false father. We also see that she may be a Queen but Samira is still a mom and she has rules she liked followed. They're basically the rule I made up for myself. The sex one she mentioned? Way too many people have sex way too early without really thinking about. Half the girls at school had babies then there STD. I was being firm. I don't believe anyone should have sex till they completely comprehended it and all the outcomes. That means getting girls knocked up that aren't ready for motherhood in addition to diseases that might end your life.

I may've said more then once I'd sell Atem and Yugi my virginity. But you got to remember I just in a really good mood at the time and I rather just have them as friends and beat the pants off them at the bowling alley. Then give them messages I never have taken a lesson but I do give great massages. My point is sex isn't something one should really do till they're ready for everything involved. The reason Yami can't get a tattoo is the self-imposed rule of mine. I promised myself I waited till I was 21 if I really wanted to get a tattoo.

The best parenting advice I've heard came in the English Version of when Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask are desperately trying to reach their daughter Rini who been corrupt by Wise Man and turned into Wicked Lady. Serena must become her future self Neo-Queen Serenity who is a goddess to reach her daughter. They revisited the memory of her falling in the rain and that they won't help her up.

"Remember how we didn't help you up? That because you weren't really hurt and could easily get up yourself. What's more, you didn't listen to us and as parents, we can't reward you for bad behavior. If we picked you up then you cry every time you need something and never learn to try for yourself,"

Also, this is what I liked what finally brought Rini back to her senses. When all of them were trapped in the void of Dark Energy Serena won't leave until Rini was out. Confused by this her mother explained yet another good piece of advice that I've always remembered.

"Listen to me Rini; everyone gets really steamed at their parents. They seem too harsh or unsympathetic. But it's a parent's job to set limits or you grow up to be ruthless and selfish. You've to remember we do what we do is because we love you so much."

That to me is really good advice and I think we all need to remember it. Both the parents and the kids should remember that no matter what shit was going through we don't have to face it alone. Even if it does seem like everyone does hate you don't forget the good times and don't forget there are people who care.

Again it really, really does surprise me that no one I mean no one guesses even after I hint through the whole story that Shimon is Samira father? Gezze! That was a major let down!

The party went exactly how I wanted. Kali helped me come up with gifts. The puppy Bakura got him was the last dog we owned. He'd to be put to sleep and Willie was the only person I cried for when they died. I didn't cry for my mom's parents or my great grandma but I wept countless tears when we had to put him to sleep. He buried in our backyard.

The idea for Mana's little stunt came out of nowhere. I've had a bad case of insomnia lately so I watch what I can till I fall asleep. So I combined Kim Possible moves with Miss. Rhode Island talent from 'Miss Congeniality" and bam you got Mana who shows how far she has come.

I liked the idea that everyone got what they wanted most. Seto, I wanted to do that give him his mother back. But getting Solmina back wasn't so easy from the start. The reason her body was by the Orion Nebula was that it was the new background on a co-worker named April computer. I loved it was so beautiful. I mean it was like the Northern Lights in space!

Kali and I work together to write that part. Going to the Shadow Realm and retrieving her soul and how everyone ends up. I wrote the last part with the fight over the cake to show yes Aziza and Yami will fight every now and then. Then I wrote the best ending I could. So that all of it.

For the first time my life I've got no ideas awaiting me and I'm scared but who knows I might get inspired soon! Thank you all so much for this. I'm glad how it turned out. Please check out my other works thank you.


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